Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected claims that the United States had approached Turkey with a request to offer Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro exile in the country before his capture, saying that "we have not received such news", the news website "Türkiye Today" reported, quoted by BTA.
The comments come amid international reactions after US forces captured Maduro and his wife during a special military operation on January 3 and took them to New York, where they will be tried on drug trafficking and related charges, the Turkish media reported.
According to some US officials representatives and media reports Washington offered Maduro a peaceful exit, potentially including exile in Turkey, but he rejected it, leading to the subsequent operation.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on January 5 that "he (Maduro) could be in Turkey today, but he is in New York. Maduro has no one to blame but himself. Trump offered him a way out. He chose to defy Trump and the U.S. military, and now he is in prison, where he deserves to be".
Q. The New York Times reported that the Trump administration had given Maduro an ultimatum in December, telling him "to leave office and go into luxurious exile in Turkey". He angrily rejected the ultimatum, several Americans and Venezuelans involved in the transition talks told the publication.
Erdogan said he had expressed concerns about Venezuela's stability during a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday.
Speaking after the first cabinet meeting of the year, the Turkish president said he had stressed to Trump that Venezuela should not be allowed to sink into instability.
"We cannot accept any action that violates political legitimacy and international law, wherever it happens in the world," Erdogan also said in his speech.