Türkiye seeks to boost energy cooperation with Venezuela

CARACAS

Türkiye’s Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has traveled to Venezuela, where he held talks with high-government officials, including Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, to discuss cooperation in energy.

“Our goal is to further develop our relations, which are built on solid foundations, with our collaboration in the fields of energy and mining,” Bayraktar wrote on X after meeting with Maduro.

During his two-day visit to Venezuela, Bayraktar held separate meetings with Petroleum Minister Pedro Rafael Tellechea Ruiz, Ecological Mining Development Minister William Serantes Pinto and First Vice President Delcy Rodriguez.

“We discussed collaborations in the fields of oil and natural gas exploration, production, trade and service, as well as investment opportunities in mining,”

They also exchanged views regarding the areas in which the Turkish companies Eti Maden, MTA and TPIC could operate in Venezuela, Bayraktar said.

Following the talks, Bayraktar and Ruiz signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the hydrocarbon industry. He also inked a deal with Pinto on cooperation in the mining sector.

“I hope that the deals we signed will produce results which will further deepen the relations between the two countries,” Bayraktar said.