Turkey shows support for ousted Venezuelan president

The US, Canada and dozens of mostly Latin American countries have quickly announced their support for Guaido’s claim to the Venezuelan presidency in a united and seemingly coordinated front, but Turkey has offered support for president Nicolas Maduro.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and offered his support after opposition leader , Juan Guaido backed by supporters and the US declared himself interim president, a spokesman for the Turkish president said on Thursday.

Our president called and extended Turkey’s support to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and said My brother Maduro! Stand tall, we stand by you!, Ibrahim Kalin said on Twitter.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president on Wednesday, winning the backing of Washington and many Latin American nations and prompting socialist Maduro, who has led the oil-rich nation since 2013, to break relations with the United States.

Juan Guaido, the new leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, turned up the heat by declaring himself interim president before a mass of demonstrators in Caracas. He said it is the only way to end the Maduro “dictatorship” in Venezuela, which has seen millions flee in recent years to escape sky-high inflation and food shortages.

We know that this will have consequences, Guaido shouted to the cheering crowd, then slipped away to an unknown location amid speculation that he would soon be arrested.

In a united and seemingly coordinated front, the U.S., Canada and another dozen mostly Latin American countries, including Brazil, Colombia and Argentina, quickly announced that they supported Guaido’s claim to the presidency. 

US president Donald Trump promised to use the “full weight” of U.S. economic and diplomatic power to push for the restoration of Venezuela’s democracy.

The people of Venezuela have courageously spoken out against Maduro and his regime and demanded freedom and the rule of law, he said in a statement.

Maduro fired back by breaking diplomatic relations with the U.S., the biggest trading partner for the oil-exporting country, and ordering American diplomats to leave the country within 72 hours. 

Washington said it would ignore the order. 

The socialist leader, who so far has been backed by the military, as well as the government-packed courts and a constituent assembly, recalled the long history of heavy-handed U.S. interventions in Latin America during the Cold War as he asked his allies for support.

Don’t trust the gringos, he thundered to a crowd of red-shirted supporters gathered at the presidential palace. They don’t have friends or loyalties. They only have interests, guts and the ambition to take Venezuela’s oil, gas and gold.