President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned against any actions that undermine political legitimacy or violate international law, saying Türkiye does not condone such practices anywhere in the world, as he noted that he spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump about the capture of the Venezuelan leader in a military operation.
“Wherever it occurs, we do not approve of any action that violates political legitimacy and international law,” Erdoğan told a news conference after a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara on Monday.
Addressing developments related to Venezuela, Erdoğan said he conveyed Türkiye’s concerns directly to Trump during a phone call, stressing that the country must not be pushed into instability. “We underlined that Venezuela should not be dragged into chaos,” he said.
Erdoğan reaffirmed Türkiye’s support for the Venezuelan people, saying Ankara will continue to stand by what he described as the friendly people of Venezuela in their pursuit of welfare, peace and development.
Türkiye on Saturday appealed for restraint from all sides after U.S. forces detained Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and carried out air strikes on the capital, Caracas.
The president also said Türkiye remains at the forefront of countries defending justice, legitimacy and international law on the global stage, adding that the country is undergoing a transformation closely followed by the world “with attention, appreciation and often admiration.”
“No one can stand in the way of Türkiye’s progress,” Erdoğan said, underscoring Ankara’s determination to pursue its political, economic and diplomatic goals while upholding principles of sovereignty and international law.
Erdoğan also said Türkiye will not allow attempts to undermine the ongoing Terror-Free Türkiye process, vowing to seize what he described as a historic opportunity to resolve the country’s terrorism problem at its roots.
“By opening wide the window of opportunity emerging before our country, we will not allow this chance to be sabotaged,” Erdoğan told reporters.
Erdoğan described terrorism as a structural threat imposed from outside:
“The scourge of terrorism is an imperialist shackle. By continuing the Terror-Free Türkiye process, we will resolve this problem at its root.”
The terror-free Türkiye initiative launched by government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli involves disarmament of the PKK terrorist group. The PKK is responsible for the killing of tens of thousands of people since the 1980s in its campaign of violence, under the pretext of founding a self-styled “Kurdish state” in southeastern Türkiye. Disarming the PKK is a highly divisive issue for Türkiye, although opinion polls show the public supports the initiative. Critics of the plan claim it is a betrayal of victims of PKK terrorism and portray it as a bargaining process with the PKK. Authorities, however, deny that any negotiations for disarmament are out of the question.
