President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has spoken on the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, warning against violations of international law and regional instability.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Erdoğan said he had raised the issue in a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday (5 January), stressing that "Venezuela must not be driven into instability".
“We do not condone any action that violates international law,” Erdoğan said, adding that breaches of national sovereignty were "risky steps that can lead to serious complications globally".
He described the abduction of Maduro as “saddening” and said Türkiye would continue to act in what it viewed as the best interests of both Ankara and the Venezuelan people.
“President Maduro and the Venezuelan people have repeatedly shown that they are friends of our nation,” Erdoğan concluded.
The U.S. operation, conducted on Saturday (3 January) in Caracas, involved strikes on key military installations and the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, by U.S. special forces.
They were later flown to New York, where they face federal charges including narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking.
Maduro pleaded not guilty in court on Monday.
According to a statement from Türkiye’s Communications Directorate, Erdoğan and Trump also discussed bilateral relations, defence industry cooperation and wider regional and global developments.
The two leaders exchanged views on Türkiye–U.S. ties and touched on the situation in Gaza, which Ankara has described as a key foreign policy priority.
Erdoğan has previously said that humanitarian conditions in Gaza, developments in the Russia–Ukraine war and the need for peaceful solutions would feature in discussions with Washington.
Negotiations between the U.S. and Iran mediated by Qatar in Doha have concluded, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Kazem Gharibabadi has said. ...
A Russian couple climbed to the top of the Empire State Building and unfurled a banner urging world peace before, in an apparent elaborate marriage p...
On 1 July, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Azerbaijan on a working visit....
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is visiting Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway this week in a landmark tour of the Nordic region that reflects Beiji...
Iranian and U.S. negotiating teams were due in Doha this week, but Iran said on Monday no meeting had been scheduled as weekend missile fire from both...
Iranian and U.S. negotiating teams were due in Doha this week, but Iran said on Monday no meeting had been scheduled as weekend missile fire from both sides tested the interim ceasefire to end the four-month-old war.
The Council of the European Union has formally adopted two regulations implementing tariff commitments agreed in the 2025 EU-U.S. Joint Statement, removing the remaining customs duties on American industrial goods and completing the legislative process.
U.S. President Donald Trump earned more than $1bn from cryptocurrency-related business ventures last year, according to his mandatory 2025 financial disclosure.
Donald Trump's attempt to end automatic citizenship for some children born in the U.S. has suffered a major setback after the Supreme Court declined to embrace the central constitutional argument behind his policy.
Iranian and U.S. negotiating teams were due in Doha this week, but Iran said on Monday no meeting had been scheduled as weekend missile fire from both sides tested the interim ceasefire to end the four-month-old war.
Negotiations between the U.S. and Iran mediated by Qatar in Doha have concluded, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Kazem Gharibabadi has said.
Mexico ended their 40-year wait for a World Cup knockout win, while Erling Haaland sent Norway through and Kylian Mbappé fired France into the last 16.
The wife and children of Argentine footballer Lucas Trejo were among around 1,700 people who died when two earthquakes struck northern Venezuela last week.
Morocco held their nerve to beat the Netherlands on penalties after a dramatic late equaliser, Gabriel Martinelli spared Brazil's blushes with a stoppage-time winner against Japan, while Paraguay stunned Germany in the tournament's biggest shock to reach the World Cup last 16.
A Russian couple climbed to the top of the Empire State Building and unfurled a banner urging world peace before, in an apparent elaborate marriage proposal that ended with their arrests.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is visiting Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway this week in a landmark tour of the Nordic region that reflects Beijing's efforts to strengthen ties with Europe at a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty.
South African police arrested more than 900 people during nationwide anti-migrant protests on Tuesday (30 June), as demonstrations across the country turned violent in some areas, although most remained peaceful.
German prosecutors have arrested a German-Rwandan national on suspicion of aiding genocide and 25 counts of murder during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, authorities said on Wednesday (1 July).
At least five people have died after a fire swept through a 10-storey apartment building in the Belgian city of Antwerp, authorities said on Wednesday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment