Excluded from the “Summit of the Americas”, the Venezuelan president goes to Turkey

Published on: 06/08/2022 – 04:53 Nicolas Maduro arrived in Ankara on Tuesday, when a “Summit of the Americas” is being held in the United States from which Venezuela is excluded. The Venezuelan president is due to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and his visit coincides with that of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who arrived in Turkey a few years earlier. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrived in Turkey on Tuesday June 7 for an official visit, at a time when the “Summit of the Americas” is taking place in the United States, to which he was not invited by Washington. “I am very happy to begin this international tour in the lands of the Turkish sister nation”, wrote the head of state on Twitter. “I am sure that we will consolidate the ties of union and cooperation between our two peoples,” added Nicolas Maduro. This visit to Turkey comes as the Summit of the Americas opened Monday in Los Angeles, from which were excluded Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, described by Washington as “dictatorships”. The start of Nicolas Maduro’s visit to Turkey took place a few hours after the arrival of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Ankara to discuss the establishment of maritime corridors to facilitate grain exports in the Black Sea, in the midst of the war in Ukraine. It is unclear if the Venezuelan president will meet the Russian minister while Moscow is another ally of the South American country. Trade allies On the other hand, Nicolas Maduro will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to the Turkish presidency. “The two leaders will discuss regional and global issues,” the presidency said in a statement, indicating that “all aspects” of bilateral relations between the two countries “will be reviewed and discussed for their improvement.” Turkey is one of the main trade allies of Venezuela which, subject to international sanctions by the United States, has also strengthened its ties with China, Iran and Russia. In April, the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mevlut Cavusoglu, had traveled to Caracas to sign cooperation agreements. He announced Turkey’s intention to triple investment in Venezuela to $1.5 billion. With AFP