Khaberni - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan conducted a telephone call on Saturday with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolás Maduro, urging him to continue the dialogue with Washington amidst escalating concerns in Caracas about a U.S. military move.
Erdoğan told Maduro, according to a statement from the Turkish President's office, "It is important to keep the dialogue channels open between the United States and Venezuela," expressing hope for "de-escalating the tension as soon as possible."
Erdoğan emphasized that Turkey is closely monitoring developments in the region and sees that "problems can be solved through dialogue."
On Wednesday, the Venezuelan President confirmed that he had a "friendly" telephone call with his American counterpart ten days ago.
On Sunday, Trump acknowledged having this call without delving into any details.
Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump summoned top national security officials to discuss the Venezuela issue after months of tension with Caracas.
Trump accuses Maduro of leading a drug cartel, but Venezuela denies this.
Washington is intensifying pressure on Caracas through a military buildup in the Caribbean Sea, where it conducted more than twenty strikes targeting boats suspected of drug smuggling, resulting in at least 87 deaths.
Last month, Washington sent the world's largest aircraft carrier to the Caribbean region, along with a fleet of warships, and announced a complete closure of Venezuelan airspace.
Turkey has close relations with Venezuela, and Erdoğan visited in December 2018 to declare his support for Maduro after Washington and several European countries refused to recognize his reelection amid allegations of fraud.
Many U.S. officials have stated that if Maduro is forced to step down, he may seek refuge in Turkey.
