Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has dismissed reports that Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela’s toppled leader, was previously offered asylum in Türkiye.
“We have not received any such news,” Erdoğan was quoted as saying by local media after a Cabinet meeting held Wednesday in Ankara.
Last week, the U.S. military struck a number of targets across Venezuela and abducted Maduro - along with his wife - from his residence in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital on 3 January.
On Monday, Maduro was hauled before a New York City court where he pled not guilty to several criminal charges, including weapons possession and “narco-terrorism.”
Shortly after Maduro’s abduction, U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told reporters that the ousted Venezuelan leader “could be in Türkiye today, but he’s in New York.”
“Maduro has nobody to blame but himself,” Graham asserted, standing alongside U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Trump gave him a way out,” he added.
Graham’s comments appeared to suggest that Maduro had been offered asylum and exile in Türkiye before his abduction and prosecution in the United States.
One day before Graham made the remarks, The New York Times reported that Trump had called on Maduro to voluntarily leave office and “go into a gilded exile” in Türkiye, but that Maduro had rejected the offer.
The New York Times cited unnamed “Americans and Venezuelans involved in transition talks” to support its assertions.
In his remarks to reporters on Wednesday, Erdoğan said Ankara had never received any proposals to this effect in the weeks leading up to Maduro’s abduction.
The Venezuelan leader’s abduction by the United States - and subsequent prosecution - has drawn a range of reactions from international capitals, including strongly-worded condemnations from Moscow and Beijing.
Türkiye has refrained from condemning the controversial U.S. move.
However, Erdoğan has warned that the violation of countries’ national sovereignty and breaches of international law “are risky steps that can lead to serious global complications.”
“In a world where the law of power prevails instead of the power of law, instability, crisis, and conflict are inevitable,” he told reporters on Monday.
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U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Iran, saying American forces could strike Iranian power plants if the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Israel has also signalled it will step up military action in the region, raising fears of a wider escalation.
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Palestinians have reported a surge in attacks by Israeli settlers on homes, vehicles, and residents across the West Bank, amid growing international criticism.
Belgium has marked the 10th-anniversary of the 2016 Brussels terror attacks, remembering the victims of the country’s deadliest peacetime attack and reflecting on changes to national security.
President Donald Trump said the U.S. was considering "winding down" its military operation against Iran, as Iran and Israel traded attacks on Saturday (21 March) and Iranian media said the nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz had been attacked.
The trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day has officially become the most-watched trailer of all time, racking up 718.6 million views in its first 24 hours and surpassing the previous record set by Deadpool & Wolverine in 2024.
Slovenia heads to the polls on Sunday (22 March) in a closely contested race between incumbent Prime Minister Robert Golob and right-wing former Prime Minister Janez Janša.
Italy is voting on 22 and 23 March in a judicial reform referendum that could reshape the justice system and test Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s political strength ahead of the 2027 general election.
U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Iran, saying American forces could strike Iranian power plants if the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Israel has also signalled it will step up military action in the region, raising fears of a wider escalation.
Belgium has marked the 10th-anniversary of the 2016 Brussels terror attacks, remembering the victims of the country’s deadliest peacetime attack and reflecting on changes to national security.
A drone attack on a hospital in East Darfur, Sudan, has killed at least 64 people and injured 89 more, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported on Saturday.
Cuba’s national power grid went down on Saturday, cutting electricity for millions, officials said. The outage marks the second nationwide blackout in a week and the third major grid failure in March.
A British nuclear-powered submarine armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles has reportedly taken up position in the Arabian Sea, the Daily Mail reported on Saturday (21 March). The deployment gives the UK the ability to carry out long-range strikes if tensions in the Gulf escalate.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 22 March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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