Turkey condemns coup attempt in Venezuela

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on April 30 condemned a coup attempt in Venezuela.

“We, as a country, which has experienced coups and their negative consequences, condemn coup bid in Venezuela,” Erdoğan said on Twitter.

The world has to respect the democratic choices of the people in Venezuela, he added.

“Those who attempt to appoint a postmodern colonial governor to Venezuela, where the people are sovereign and where President comes through elections, should know only democratic elections determined the way to govern the country,” Erdoğan said.

“Ballot box is essential in democracies,” he added.

His remarks came after Venezuelan Vice President Jorge Rodriguez said a group of soldiers is self-deployed on the Altamira distributor road, close to La Carlota military air base, for an uprising against the Constitution and peace of the country.

Earlier, opposition leader Juan Guaido released a video on Twitter in which he could be seen alongside soldiers, calling for an uprising to end the “usurpation” of President Nicolas Maduro.

“The National Armed Forces have made the right decision, they have the support of the Venezuelan people,” Guaido said.

Guaido also called on the public to take to the streets to support “democratic forces” and “restore country’s freedom.”

Maduro, for his part, called on people to “protect the homeland and constitutional order”.

Venezuela has been rocked by protests since Jan. 10, when Maduro was sworn in for a second term following a vote boycotted by the opposition.

Tensions escalated when Guaido, who heads Venezuela’s National Assembly, declared himself acting president on Jan. 23, a move which was supported by the U.S. and many European and Latin American countries.

Venezuelan FM thanks Erdoğan

Meanwhile, Venezuela's foreign minister thanked Erdoğan on April 30 for condemning the coup attempt in the South American country.

Jorge Arreaza praised Erdoğan on Twitter for his determined and overt support for international law and peace and respect for democracy in Venezuela.

Arreaza shared Erdogan's post on Twitter which said: "We, as a country, which has experienced coups and their negative consequences, condemn the coup bid in Venezuela.”

Venezuelan Embassy in Ankara also thanked Turkey for its stance against coup bid in the South American country.

In a statement, the embassy expressed its appreciation of Turkish government and people for their support to the sovereign, democratic and constitutional government of Venezuela.