The President of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro, decorated the Türkiye ambassador, Sevki Mutevellioglu, on Monday with the Francisco de Miranda order, at the culmination of his diplomatic functions in Venezuela.
In a ceremony held at the Miraflores Palace, where other ambassadors were present, the head of state awarded the decoration for the contribution of the Turkish diplomat to the brotherhood, solidarity and cooperation between Caracas and Ankara.
The president highlighted the extensive cooperation that exists between the two nations and pointed out that the contribution of Ambassador Mutevellioglu was decisive for the development of cooperation and joint projects.
He said that despite the difficulties that Venezuela has faced in recent years such as sanctions, violence, attempted assassination and theft of state assets, the Venezuelan government has had “great friends in the world” such as Türkiye.
«We have had great friends in the world thanks to God, to our people, to the world. Venezuela has had the support of the new world, of the new humanity, and President (Recep) Erdogan has always been by his side,” he added.
Maduro, who a month ago was in official visit in Türkiye, he said that in his meeting with Erdogan the progress of economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries was evident.
“The president (Erdogan) himself set a great goal and said: we must increase from 850 million dollars to 3,000 million this year of cooperation, exchange, of the trade balance between the two countries,” he said.
The Head of State pointed out that another humanity is being born with its own identity, with its own will, where “we can all go to seek the right to development, to peace, to advance”, based on a great dialogue of shared destiny of culture, civilizations, ideologies and religions.
“Turkey is a country with an admirable history, which has emanated culture, science, technology, art, poetry. A country full of color and beauty », she said.
President of Türkiye will visit Venezuela
During the ceremony, the Head of State reported that the President of Türkiye Recep Tayip Erdogan will arrive in the country in the coming days.
“We will be hosting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Türkiye) again. We are happily preparing for this visit to have high significance for our recovery of Venezuela,” Maduro reported.
“I am in love with this country”
In his farewell speech, Ambassador Sevki Mutevellioglu stated that he witnessed two of the strongest friendships in the world between Presidents Maduro and Erdogan, who – he stressed – have guided their countries “in uncertain times for humanity” such as the coronavirus pandemic. covid-19 and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
“It was clear to me that I was before a great statesman (like Maduro) and an extraordinary team. My appointment was a blessing and a wonderful professional experience. I am in love with this country and Caracas in particular. I became a proud man from Caracas, a Turk from Ankara who belongs to Caracas », he said.
He indicated that Venezuela has always been important for his country and proof of this is that they enjoy 72 years of diplomatic relations.
“We opened the embassy in 1957 and it has never closed its doors. One of my goals was to strengthen long-term economic relations. In addition, negotiations are under way to deepen investments », he stressed.
He added that Venezuela is the first destination for Turkish exports with more than 800 million dollars in trade last year. He also highlighted the connectivity that exists thanks to Turkish Airlines.
In his administration, he indicated that he promoted cultural events, concerts, educational projects such as scholarships, among others.
“I know that our bilateral relations are stronger than ever. On the other hand, Türkiye is against any kind of sanction or any other reason for unilateral coercive measures. I also want to say that dialogue is the best way to resolve the crisis », he stated.
