Venezuela’s Delcy Rodriguez meets Erdogan in surprise Turkey visit: What to know

ANKARA — Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodriguez made an unannounced visit to Turkey on Monday, meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in her current capacity.

What happened: Rodriguez arrived in Istanbul on Monday and was welcomed by Erdogan before the two leaders held one-on-one and delegation-level talks. Turkish Presidency Communications Director Burhanettin Duran said in a statement that the discussions would focus on “reviewing the multidimensional relations between Turkey and Venezuela” and steps to deepen cooperation as well as regional and global developments.

On the Turkish side, Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar attended the delegation-level talks. Rodriguez was accompanied by a delegation that included Foreign Minister Yvan Gil, Tourism Minister Daniella Cabello and Foreign Trade Minister Johan Alvarez.

Background: Rodriguez’s Turkey visit comes as part of her first major international tour since the US capture and transfer of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January and marks the first high-level Venezuelan visit to Turkey since Maduro’s removal.

Maduro last traveled to Turkey in June 2023 to attend the inauguration of Erdogan, who was among a small group of leaders who recognized Maduro’s disputed 2024 election victory. Turkey and Venezuela expanded political and economic ties under Maduro, whose government maintained close relations with Ankara despite US sanctions pressure.

Venezuela has emerged as one of Turkey’s more significant trade partners in South America. Bilateral trade stood at $448 million in 2025, according to official Turkish statistics, with petroleum and mining products among Turkey’s main imports from Venezuela, while Turkish exports included food products, milling goods and mineral fuels.

Close ties between Erdogan and Maduro also drew scrutiny after US Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-N.C.) said in January that Maduro had been offered exile in Turkey. Erdogan later said that Ankara had received no such request. After Maduro’s capture, Erdogan continued to describe him as a friend but avoided direct criticism of the United States or President Donald Trump, with whom he also maintains close personal ties.

Why it matters: Before arriving in Istanbul, Rodriguez visited India last week for talks on energy, trade and investment, according to India’s Foreign Ministry. Rodriguez’s stops in India and Turkey point to a broader Venezuelan push to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties with non-Western partners after Maduro’s removal, particularly in energy, trade, investment and mining.

For Ankara, the visit presents an opportunity to preserve one of its most visible partnerships in Latin America after Maduro’s fall, as Ankara has interests in Venezuelan energy, mining and gold.

Know more: Turkey and Venezuela signed memorandums of understanding in 2024 on oil, natural gas and mining cooperation, but it remains unclear whether those agreements can translate into new business under Venezuela’s post-Maduro transition.

Rodriguez’s removal from OFAC’s sanctions list could make high-level Turkish engagement with Caracas easier, but remaining US sanctions on Venezuela mean any Turkish energy, mining or financial deals would still require careful compliance checks.