Erdoğan silent on Maduro operation due to fear of Trump, opposition leader says

03.01.2026

By Turkish Minute

Source:https://www.turkishminute.com/2026/01/03/erdogan-silent-on-maduro-operation-due-to-fear-of-trump-opposition-leader-says/

Turkey’s main opposition leader Özgür Özel accused President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday of staying silent out of fear after President Donald Trump announced a US-led military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

Özel, who leads Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), spoke at a rally in the central Turkish province of Çankırı.

Özel said Erdoğan “could not say one word” about what he called “Trump’s coup in Venezuela” and Maduro’s removal from the country.

Özel described the Turkish president as a politician who “fears Trump” and “looks for legitimacy” in the Oval Office.

Özel also attacked what he described as Erdoğan’s efforts to secure a meeting with Trump and his readiness to make economic concessions for access to Washington.

He said Maduro had acted improperly when he failed to hold fair elections but argued that the US action broke the basic rules of state sovereignty and international law.

Turkey’s foreign ministry issued a written statement on Saturday saying it was closely following developments in Venezuela.

The ministry said Turkey attaches importance to Venezuela’s stability and the well-being of Venezuelans.

Erdoğan has not issued a public statement about Trump’s announcement.

Turkey has maintained ties with Maduro’s government for years even as the United States imposed sanctions on Venezuela and pressed for political change.

Erdoğan publicly backed Maduro during Venezuela’s 2019 political crisis, when Washington supported opposition efforts to remove Maduro from power.

Venezuela is an oil-rich South American country that has faced years of international isolation tied to accusations of authoritarian rule and human rights abuses.