Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez discussed bilateral relations and global developments during talks in Istanbul, Türkiye’s Communications Directorate has said.

In a statement on Monday shared on Turkish social media platform NSosyal, the directorate said Erdogan met with Rodriguez and her delegation, who are paying a working visit to Türkiye.

According to the statement, Erdogan noted during the meeting that Türkiye will always stand by the friendly people of Venezuela.

He also stated that Türkiye remains committed to further advancing cooperation with Venezuela in many areas, particularly trade, energy, and mining.

The two sides also discussed steps to reach a bilateral trade volume target of $3 billion, it added.

Earlier, Erdogan welcomed Rodriguez with an official ceremony at the Presidential Dolmabahce Office.

Following the ceremony, Erdogan and Rodriguez held bilateral and delegation-level talks.

Rodriguez is visiting Türkiye at President Erdogan’s invitation.

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir, Trade Minister Omer Bolat, Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, and Akif Cagatay Kilic, the president’s chief adviser on foreign policy and security, also attended the meeting.