Erdogan under fire in Turkey for silence on Maduro capture
Turkey’s opposition has been pressuring the government to take a harder line on the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, following Ankara’s muted response to the kidnapping.
Ozgur Ozel, chairman of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of being afraid of Trump.
“Your friend Trump has arrived – he violates international law, bursts into your brother Maduro’s bedroom with his wife, ties his hands, blindfolds him, and takes him away.
“How tragic that you now remain silent in the face of this picture?” Ozel said during a rally on Saturday.
Ozel was referring to Erdogan’s personal relationship with Maduro.
The abducted leader has visited Turkey multiple times and received public support from Erdogan in January 2019, when Venezuela’s opposition-led National Assembly declared Maduro a usurper following the disputed 2018 presidential election results.
At the time, Erdogan called Maduro and told him, “Brother, you should stand firm. We are with you.”
Maduro was one of the first leaders to call Erdogan in July 2016 after the attempted military coup against him, paving the way for a burgeoning relationship that would include nearly $1bn in trade turnover by 2023, particularly in the mining and gold sectors.
‘Legitimising coup’
Ozel said Erdogan was on the wrong side of history for defending Maduro when his election was disputed.
“Now that you need to defend the world order, your silence legitimises Trump’s coup against another country,” he said. “You fear Trump, on whom you feel dependent.”
The Turkish leader made a televised public appearance over the weekend but did not comment on the incident.
Erdogan hosted Maduro in June 2023 during his inauguration in Ankara and has maintained dialogue with him since.
After Venezuela’s disputed 2024 elections, Ankara did not formally express an opinion on the results, but Erdogan continued to engage Caracas.
Ozel featured Erdogan’s picture with Maduro and Maduro’s picture under US custody, blindfolded on an airplane, on his X account accusing him of silence.
Their last phone call was on 6 December, when Erdogan told Maduro that Turkey believes problems can be resolved through “dialogue”, referring to the crisis between Caracas and the Trump administration purportedly over alleged drug trafficking.
Several reports suggested that the US had offered Maduro exile in Turkey around that time, which was confirmed by US Senator Lindsey Graham early that morning while Trump was standing next to him.
In a statement on Saturday, the Turkish foreign ministry refrained from condemning Maduro’s abduction and instead called on all parties to exercise restraint to prevent the situation from leading to adverse consequences for regional and international security.
Ankara also offered to contribute diplomatically to resolving the crisis in Venezuela. Ozel’s remarks sparked a heated debate between him and senior Turkish officials.
Burhanettin Duran, the presidential communications director, accused Ozel of being irresponsible.
“Turkey’s foreign policy is conducted not through bombastic and opportunistic slogans, but with statesmanship, within the framework of our state and nation’s interests,” he said.
“Turkey has always been consistent in its principles of respect for international law and sovereignty. Our stance against lawlessness, regardless of its source, is clear.”
Erdogan’s key coalition partner, Nationalist Movement Party chairman Devlet Bahceli, likened Maduro’s capture to the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, saying the incident recalled the attempt to kidnap Erdogan in Marmaris at the time.
“The method used against Maduro is identical to the one used then,” he said. “On July 15, 2016, the United States failed to achieve its goal through the will of the Turkish nation, and today it has launched a similar attempt in Venezuela.”
However, the Turkish government appears divided.
Cemil Ertem, a presidential adviser, initially posted a harsh message on X before deleting it, calling the US “genocidal” and accusing it of continuing its “imperial banditry” in Venezuela.
“We stand with the people of Venezuela and President Maduro! This banditry must not go unpunished,” he wrote.
Another chief presidential adviser, Mehmet Ucum, described the Maduro incident as one of the most brutal examples of “imperialist aggression”.
“The Maduro incident is a criminal act that once again reveals the complete nullification of international law, international institutions, and the United Nations,” he added.
