Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone call with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, urging him to maintain dialogue with Washington amid rising concerns in Caracas over potential U.S. military action.
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According to a statement from the Turkish presidency, Erdoğan told Maduro: “It is important to keep the channels of dialogue open between the United States and Venezuela,” expressing hope that tensions could be eased as soon as possible.
Erdoğan emphasized that Turkey is closely monitoring developments in the region and believes that “problems can be resolved through dialogue.”
Earlier this week, President Maduro confirmed that he had conducted a “cordial” phone conversation with the U.S. president ten days ago. Trump acknowledged the call on Sunday without providing further details.
Earlier in the week, U.S. President Donald Trump convened senior national security officials to discuss Venezuela after months of tension with Caracas. Trump accuses Maduro of leading a drug cartel, allegations that Venezuela denies.
Washington has increased pressure on Caracas by deploying military assets in the Caribbean, conducting over twenty strikes on vessels suspected of drug trafficking, resulting in at least 87 deaths. Last month, the United States sent its largest aircraft carrier along with a fleet of warships to the Caribbean and declared Venezuela’s airspace fully restricted.
Turkey maintains close ties with Venezuela; Erdoğan visited the country in December 2018 to publicly support Maduro after Washington and several European countries refused to recognize his reelection amid allegations of electoral fraud. Several U.S. officials have noted that if Maduro were forced to step down, he might seek refuge in Turkey.
