‘Venezuela must not descend into chaos’: Erdogan pushes back on US action in call with Trump

Erdogan Warns Trump Over Venezuela Chaos

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday he had told his US counterpart Donald Trump that Venezuela must not collapse into chaos, days after the US ousted his ally Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

Erdogan said he spoke over the phone with Trump about the US operation that resulted in Maduro being seized in Caracas and transferred to the US.

"Any attack on the sovereignty of the people and any violation of international law will generate serious complications within the international order," Erdogan said he told Trump.

"Venezuela must not descend into chaos or instability," he added in comments to Turkish television after a cabinet meeting.

After months of threats and pressure tactics, US forces on Saturday bombed the Venezuelan capital and toppled Maduro, ending 12 years of his rule.

Maduro pleaded not guilty in a New York court on Monday to drug trafficking charges.

"When force prevails over law, instability, crises, and conflicts ensue," Erdogan warned.

"We strive to act in the best interests of Turkey and the friendly Venezuelan people. Mr Maduro and the Venezuelan people have repeatedly demonstrated their friendship toward our nation," he added.

Erdogan later repeated his belief that Trump would soon allow Turkey back into the F-35 fighter jet programme after its "unjust" exclusion.

Washington booted NATO member Turkey out of the programme in 2019 and later imposed sanctions on Ankara over its purchase of an S-400 Russian surface-to-air missile defence system, but since Trump's return to office the two NATO allies appear keen to end the dispute.

In Monday's comments, apparently part of a written interview with Bloomberg news agency but released by the Turkish presidency, he said Turkey's readmission was "important and necessary".