Venezuelan top diplomat’s Türkiye trip to bolster bilateral ties

Strengthening bilateral relations will be on top of the agenda when Venezuela Foreign Minister Yvan Gil arrives in Türkiye for an official tour.

Gil will meet his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan on Friday in Ankara to discuss regional and international developments.

Venezuela is one of the first countries in Latin America and the Caribbean region with which Türkiye established diplomatic relations in 1950.

Despite the geographical distance and transportation challenges that limited bilateral ties for many years, high-level reciprocal visits in recent years have breathed new momentum into the relationship.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s official visit to Venezuela in 2018 marked the first tour by a Turkish head of state.

The Türkiye-Venezuela Business Forum was also organised during the visit, further strengthening economic ties between the two nations.

The relations between the two countries peaked after the July 15 failed coup attempt in Türkiye seven years ago. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was one of the first leaders to condemn the coup attempt by the FETO terrorist organisation.

President Erdogan showed his strong support for Maduro when he was challenged by a coup attempt in 2019 led by Congress head Juan Guaido.

Last year, when President Erdogan hosted President Maduro in Ankara, he recalled “the strong solidarity displayed by the Venezuelan people with our nation on July 15” and defined ties between the two nations as “all-weather friendship”.

Economic cooperation

Earlier this year, former Turkish Trade Minister Mehmet Mus visited Venezuela to attend the inauguration of the Türkiye-Venezuela Trade Delegation, during which six agreements were signed between the two countries.

Since the convention of the third Türkiye-Venezuela Joint Cooperation Commission last year, collaboration across various sectors has been established between the two countries, encompassing trade, tourism, agriculture, and healthcare.

Mutual trade, which was $152 million in 2019, reached approximately $1.1 billion in 2022.

Last year, after one-on-one and delegation-level meetings between President Erdogan and President Maduro, several agreements were signed between the two countries.

Street of friendship

The friendship between Venezuela and Türkiye also developed after Türkiye's support to Venezuela in its challenge with the Covid-19 pandemic.

"During the most challenging and significant moments of uncertainty, Türkiye was always by our side during the pandemic. They were always supporting us. In all processes, they mobilised everything necessary for health to overcome the pandemic," the Venezuelan President said during his visit last year.

This year in May, in a display of friendship, Venezuela changed the name of one of its historically significant streets in Caracas to ‘Turkish Republic Street’.

The renaming ceremony occurred during the May 19 Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth, and Sports Day. Turkish Ambassador Aydan Karamanoglu, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil, and Mayor Carmen Melendez attended it.

Turkish TV series have also influenced the rising friendship between the Latin American nation and Türkiye. Series export to Venezuela surged by an impressive 572 percent over the past few years.