Recently, there has been a lot of talk about the relationships between Venezuela and Turkey. It is rumored that this is due to the economic sanctions imposed by the United States government on Nicolás Maduro’s regime. Some say that the trade balance will jump from under $100 million a year to over $2 billion, thanks to the new friendship between Maduro and Erdogan. Besides Maduro’s own visit with the Turkish clown who carves meat upon his return from China, sources report that Maikel Moreno, the president of Venezuela’s Supreme Court, is also a frequent visitor. The nature of Moreno’s business dealings in Turkey remains undisclosed.
Germán Ferrer, the husband of Luisa Ortega Díaz, is mentioned as a link between Majed Khalil, Turkish Airlines, and Caracas, helping configure flights from Istanbul to Caracas. Reports indicate that Khalil, an associate of Diosdado Cabello and Jorge and Delcy Rodríguez, has made substantial investments in hotels and other businesses in Turkey, and also visits often.
The Central Bank of Venezuela has chosen TC Ziraat Bankansi AS of Turkey for its international reserve operations.
Then there was the matter regarding gold and other financial agreements established between the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) and several banks in unreliable jurisdictions. In this regard, TC Ziraat Bankansi AS is mentioned as a participating correspondent bank. Noor Capital, where sources allege that the kingpin Tareck el-Aisami concealed some stolen funds, reportedly sought to transfer Chavista money to Turkey. Two names came up: Armando Capriles and Olivier Couriol.
Meanwhile, PDVSA, of course, has been evading U.S. sanctions while further encumbering its assets. Vitol, Lukoil, Rosneft, and Trafigura continue to do business with PDVSA as a normal practice, despite the fraud lawsuits filed by David Boies and PDVSA against these companies.