Turkish President Erdoğan, Venezuela's interim president discuss bilateral ties, global issues in Istanbul

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

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

According to the statement, Erdoğan 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, Erdoğan welcomed Rodriguez with an official ceremony at the Presidential Dolmabahçe Office.

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

Rodriguez is visiting Türkiye at Erdoğan's invitation.

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Trade Minister Ömer Bolat, Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, and Akif Çağatay Kılıç, the president's chief adviser on foreign policy and security, also attended the meeting.