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ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Tayyip Erdogans ruling AK Party was on track on Monday to lose control of Turkeys two biggest cities, Istanbul and Ankara, in a stunning local election setback that could complicate the presidents plans to combat recession.

While official vote tallies and Turkish broadcasters put the main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) candidates ahead in both cities, the Islamist-rooted AKP promised appeals that could delay the final results for days.

Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics since sweeping to power 16 years ago and has ruled with an ever tighter grip, campaigned relentlessly for two months ahead of Sundays vote, which he described as a matter of survival for Turkey.

But his daily rallies and overwhelmingly supportive media coverage failed to win over many urban voters, as last years punishing currency crisis weighed heavily on Turks.

The people have voted in favour of democracy, they have chosen democracy, said opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, whose secularist CHP also held its Aegean coastal stronghold of Izmir, Turkeys third largest city.

The AKP and its Islamist predecessor have controlled Istanbul and the capital Ankara for 25 years. The results, which were still being tallied on Monday evening, would likely bring personnel changes at the highest ranks of government, according to sources inside and close to the AKP.

In Istanbul, the countrys largest city and economic hub, the CHP mayoral candidate was more than 22,000 votes ahead of his AKP opponent as the last votes were being counted, according to the countrys electoral board.

Yet the AKP also claimed victory, saying it had plenty of evidence of voting irregularities.

In Ankara, Turkish broadcasters said the CHP candidate had won a clear victory. But the AKP said it would appeal and expected to shift the outcome in its favour.

Erdogans ruling alliance, including the nationalist MHP, captured 51.7 percent of the nationwide vote, according to state-owned Anadolu news agency. Turnout was a very high 84.5 percent.

But the loss of Istanbul - if confirmed - would be especially significant as Erdogan served as as the citys mayor in the 1990s.

The Turkish lira, which swung wildly tmsnrt.rs/2CEaO11 in the week ahead of the elections, echoing last year's currency crisis, initially weakened on Monday as much as 2.5 percent before recovering.

An AKP official and a source close to the party each predicted a cabinet shuffle or other changes among those around Erdogan.

There will certainly be changes in some places, such as Erdogans close circle in the party and the cabinet, said the official, who requested anonymity. Markets expect that there will be a change in the cabinet. This makes a change necessary.

Erdogan, Turkeys most prominent leader since the founder of the Turkish republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, has built support based on strong economic growth and backing from a core constituency of pious, conservative Muslim Turks.

He has been the countrys most popular - although divisive - modern politician, tightening his grip in elections last year that ushered in a powerful executive presidency that alarmed Western allies who fear growing authoritarianism in Turkey.

But a currency crisis beginning in August sliced the liras value by 30 percent and tipped the economy into recession. With inflation close to 20 percent and unemployment rising, some voters were ready to punish the president.

Erdogan pledged late on Sunday he would now focus on Turkeys troubled economy ahead of national elections in 2023.

We have a long period ahead where we will carry out economic reforms without compromising from the rules of the free market economy, he said.

But investors are sceptical that AKPs long-promised reforms can transform a slumping economy hooked on foreign debt, and also worry about fraying diplomatic ties with the United States that could bring more sanctions. Last week authorities used a series of stop-gap measures to cushion the selloff of Turkish assets.

Investors fear Erdogans electoral losses will lead him to be more defensive, trying to shore up electoral support via populist measures, which increases risks for markets, said Inan Demir, senior emerging market economist at Nomura, in London.

The head of the High Election Board told reporters there was a three-day period for the election results to be challenged.

The CHPs mayoral candidate in Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, was leading his AKP rival, former prime minister Binali Yildirim, by 22,479 votes, according to state agency Anadolu.

CHP candidate Mansur Yavas won the mayoral race in Ankara, preliminary results showed.

In mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey, residents celebrated as the pro-Kurdish opposition Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) won back municipalities that authorities had taken control of two years ago, accusing the HDP of terrorist links. The HDP denies links to the outlawed militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

They robbed us of our will and we overturned this, said Abdullah Elmas, a resident of Diyarbakir, the regions biggest city.

A European group observing Turkeys local elections criticised curbs on the free expression of citizens and journalists, saying on Monday it was unsure whether the Turkey electoral environment was free and fair.

Additional reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu, Ece Toksabay, Tulay Karadeniz and Nevzat Devranoglu in Ankara, and Daren Butler, Ali Kucukgocmen, Behiye Selin Taner, Ceyda Caglayan, Ebru Tuncay and Ezgi Erkoyun in Istanbul, and Karin Strohecker in London; Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Gareth Jones

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Erdogan loses hold over Turkish capital, Istanbul disputed ...

The fifth South EU Summit, hosted on January 29th in the divided capital of Nicosia, Cyprus, resulted in the seven government leaders of France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus and Malta releasing a statement that largely backed Cyprus to the ire of Turkey. Despite reaffirming the importance of the EU relations with Turkey, the SEUS called on Ankara to normalise its relations with the Republic of Cyprus, whose legal status has been the cause of an international dispute since 1974. In a clash with the European Union, Turkey does not recognise the Greek-Cypriot administration led by President Nicos Anastasiades as the legal representative of the whole of Cyprus.

In response to the South EU Summit, Turkey released a brief statement, rejecting the SEUS recommendations and reiterating its stance on Cyprus. Turkey remains committed to taking the necessary steps to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriots, the declaration said.

Greece and Turkey have overcome heavy collisions over the past forty years. Yet, days after the tense words following the South EU Summit, Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, and Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan, met in Ankara for approximately two hours to discuss moving forward on the resolution of the Cyprus issue, as well as other concerns, including terrorism, security in the Aegean, and a group of Turkish soldiers that fled to Greece following the 2016 failed coup attempt in Turkey.

Both leaders agreed to keep open channels of dialogue.

Before both sides sit down for a new negotiation period, we must establish a joint road map, Erdogan commented. Tsipras noted that the countries must agree to a series of preliminary meetings to discuss solutions for Cyprus, in particular. We discussed the need for a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem in the framework of UN resolutions. A solution that will be a benefit to all of the Cypriot people, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, and creates a reunited, federal Cyprus, a regular country in the area and the EU, he said.

Previously, the two leaders met in July,2018 when Erdogan visited Greece, soon after his re-election. Tsipras is set to face elections in Greece in late 2019, and this trip is expected to bolster his image back home. Both nations could also benefit from improved economic ties: Greece has been struggling to get out from under austerity, and Turkey has suffered double-digit inflation along with a currency collapse.

The meeting did not result in any new agreement, and its prime result was only an increase in goodwill. However, it would be a mistake to underestimate goodwill in a region rife with political instability. The readiness of the two leaders to engage in dialogue is a positive development likely to relieve tensions in the region. No issue has been resolved but at least we have a dialogue, said Dimitrios Triantaphyllou, director of the Centre for International and European Studies, at Istanbuls Kadir Has University.

We believe every problem could be resolved through dialogue, Erdogan said at a news conference. Tsipras also said more concrete steps could follow in the future. During their meeting, the heads of state cleared the air on a number of ongoing issues.

Erdogan stressed that he wanted more cooperation from Greece regarding the repatriation of soldiers linked to the failed 2016 coup. Before Tsipras arrival, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported that the Turkish Interior Ministry had added 74 officers to the list of people wanted for alleged roles in the failed coup including the 8 soldiers who escaped to Greece in a military helicopter (they have since denied involvement). Turkey is offering 4 million Turkish lira for their capture.

Our expectation from Greece is that it doesnt become a safe haven where FET, PKK, DHKP-C terrorists take refuge, Erdogan said during a joint news conference with Tsipras in Ankara.

Giorgos Koumoustakos, a Greek opposition lawmaker with the New Democracy party, who is responsible for foreign affairs, accused Turkey of a new provocative move to undermine Tsipras visit, by offering a bounty on those Greece had granted asylum to.

Of course, coup-plotters are not welcome in Greece, Tsipras responded, though he also stressed that he had to respect the decision of the Greek courts that ruled against extraditing the Turkish servicemen.

The European refugee crisis is a political flashpoint for many European states, especially in the Mediterranean. Greece has accused Turkey of failing to restrict the number of refugees who cross into Europe, despite Turkeys 2016 deal with the EU to stem the tide. In return, Erdogan used a news conference with Tsipras to accuse the EU of not meeting its obligations, referring to the acceptance of 72,000 Syrian refugees that had departed from Turkey.

We did and will fulfil obligations, including the readmission agreement. However, we see that the EU cant apply the agreement properly, said Erdogan.

In response, an EU official said the refugee agreement continues to deliver thanks to the close cooperation between the EU, its Member States and Turkey. EU Members have taken over nearly 20,000 Syrian refugees from Turkey, said the unidentified official.

Both Greece and Turkey do agree, however, that the overcrowding number of refugees in the Aegean remains a pressing issue that needs better cooperation to achieve stronger results, ideally with additional EU aid.

Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey continue to be at loggerheads concerning gas exploration in Cypriot waters. Turkey insists that exploring gas reserves off the Cypriot coast violates the rights of Turkey and Turkish Cypriots. That is because the gas reserves are in areas contested not only by Turkey, but also Israel and Lebanon. Most of the Eastern Mediterranean states have thus far depended on gas imports to meet their energy needs, but new offshore gas deposits offer the tempting lure of self-sustainability, and even the potential to export gas supplies to the European market.

The joint declaration by the South EU Summit states expressed solidarity with the Republic of Cyprus. We express our full support and solidarity with the Republic of Cyprus in exercising its sovereign rights to explore, exploit and develop its natural resources within its EEZ, in accordance with EU and international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the declaration said.

While the EU supports Cyprus right to explore hydrocarbon reserves offshore, Turkey sees the exploratory activities as another violation of both the inalienable rights of Turkish Cypriots and its good intentions, demanding a stop to Greek Cypriot exploration efforts until the Cyprus issue has been resolved. Indeed, Turkey was planning to begin drilling around Cyprus to search for hydrocarbon reserves a move that is likely to upset Greece in return.

It should not be forgotten that the main reason for the failure of the Cyprus Conference in 2017, was the Greek Cypriot sides intransigent mentality, considering themselves as the sole owner of the island and the Turkish Cypriots as a minority, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said, adding that the fact that in the joint declaration there is no mention of the legitimate rights of the Turkish Cypriots on the natural resources of the island, proves the persistence of this distorted mentality.

Soon after the meeting, Tsipras visited the Halki seminary on an island off of Istanbul, an Orthodox seminary that has remained closed since 1971, despite international calls for Turkey to allow its reopening. Tsipras is the first serving Greek Prime Minister to visit the seminary in the last 90 years.

First opened in 1844, the seminary was closed down when Turkeys constitutional court ruled that private colleges operating in military or religious education must be affiliated with a state-run university. As the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Istanbul refused to accept subordination to the state, the seminary has remained closed ever since.

The closure of the school is indirectly linked to the rights of the Turkish minority community in northern Greece, as well as the construction of a mosque in Athens. Erdogan said that Turkey was prepared to reopen the seminary if Greece took steps to improve the rights of this Muslim group. Currently, under the terms of the Lausanne Peace Treaty, Greek Orthodox in Istanbul are allowed to elect their own religious leaders (presently, it is Patriarch Bartholomew I). However, the ethnic Turks in western Thrace are not allowed the same liberties, as the Greek state appoints a mufti for them. In 1990, the elected mufti of Xanthi, Mehmet Emin Aga, was arrested on the grounds of usurping the title of the state-appointed mufti.

In the wake of the good will established by this meeting, Cyprus President, Nicos Anastasiades, is also set to make his own informal overtures to both Turkey and Northern Cyprus when he meets with Turkish Cypriot leader, Mustafa Akinci, on February 26th.

The goal is to resume negotiations from the point they were left off. And of course, the six parameters submitted by the Secretary-General should serve as a guide, he said.

To that end, Anastasiades will propose drafting a document detailing both sides agreements and disagreements relating to the Cyprus issue, as a basis for the meeting. The Cyprus News Agency cited unnamed sources, who said there was a need to record the convergences, draft a document, and sit down to discuss in a methodical manner.

The Turkish side is also expected to submit their positions in writing regarding the six parameters of the Guterres framework though they refuse to negotiate on the issue of political equality. Both sides are expected to bring concrete proposals to the table, particularly regarding Anastasiades ideas regarding decentralisation as part of a future peace settlement.

UN envoy, Jane Holl Lute, is facilitating the leaders drawing up terms of reference for new talks, and has left Cyprus to discuss the issue with the guarantor powers Greece, Turkey, and the UK.

It may be the dawn of a final peace settlement for Cyprus.

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Tsipras and Erdogan Set the Stage for the Resumption of ...

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed in an overnight phone call on joint action against Islamic State in the Syrian towns of Raqqa and al-Bab, both held by the militants, Turkish presidency sources said on Wednesday.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech during his meeting with mukhtars at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, February 8, 2017. Yasin Bulbul/Presidential Palace/Handout via REUTERS

U.S.-Turkish differences during former President Barack Obamas administration impeded the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State, and closer coordination could mean faster progress towards freeing swathes of northern Syria from IS.

Erdogan now hopes that relations with Washington, strained by the presence in the United States of a cleric he blames for an attempted military coup last year and by U.S. support for Kurdish militia in Syria, can be reset under Trump.

Turkey has the second largest army in the NATO alliance and is key to any success in rolling back and eventually neutralising IS in Syria and Iraq where IS declared a cross-border caliphate after lightning advances in 2014.

Turkey has presented a detailed plan to oust Islamic State from its Raqqa urban stronghold in northeastern Syria and strategy discussions with the Trump administration are under way, according to Erdogans spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin.

The operational details were not discussed on this call ... Now detailed planning will be conducted in coordination, he told Turkish broadcaster NTV in an interview.

Ankara believes recent IS attacks in Turkey, including a New Years Day shooting in an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people, have been steered from al-Bab and Raqqa, and regards a clear-out of the towns as a national security priority.

Turkish government and Syrian rebel sources said on Wednesday insurgents backed by Turkeys military had taken the outskirts of al-Bab, northeast of Aleppo. If al-Bab falls, Ankara would strengthen its sway over an area of northern Syria where it has created a de facto buffer zone.

Syrian government forces have also advanced on al-Bab from the south, bringing them into close proximity with their Turkish and rebel enemies in one of the most complex battlefields of Syrias six-year-old civil war. But Turkey said international coordination was under way to prevent clashes with Syrian forces.

The White House said that in the phone call, Trump spoke about the two countries shared commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and welcomed Turkish contributions to the fight against Islamic State. But it gave few details.

Sources in Erdogans office said the two leaders had touched on issues including a safe zone, as well as the regional migrant crisis and the fight against terrorism. Turkey has long advocated a secure zone for displaced civilians in Syria threatened by Islamist militants or forces fighting for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

They also said Erdogan had urged the United States not to support the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia and that new CIA Director Mike Pompeo would be in Turkey on Thursday to discuss that and other issues with Turkish counterparts.

There was no immediate confirmation from Washington of Pompeos visit. But the offices of both leaders said Trump had reiterated U.S. support for Turkey as a strategic partner and NATO ally during Tuesdays phone call.

Turkey has long urged world powers to help create a safe zone, which it also sees as a way to purge its border of Islamic State and Kurdish militia fighters, and stem a wave of migration that has caused tensions with Europe.

Obama and U.S. allies balked at the idea, saying it would entail significant ground forces and planes to patrol a no-fly zone, a dicey commitment in such a crowded and messy conflict.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of U.S.-backed militias, launched a new phase of its campaign against Islamic State in Raqqa on Saturday.

Turkey has repeatedly said it wants to be part of the U.S.-led operation to retake Raqqa from the ultra-hardline Sunni militant Islamic State, but does not want the YPG, which is part of the SDF alliance, to be involved.

Relations between Erdogan and Obama soured over U.S. support for the YPG, which Ankara regards as a terrorist group and an extension of Kurdish insurgents fighting inside Turkey.

The Turkish army and Syrian rebel groups it supports have been fighting IS in a separate campaign around al-Bab, northeast of the city of Aleppo. Ankara has complained in the past about a lack of U.S. support for that campaign.

Kalin said there had been better coordination with the U.S.-led coalition on air strikes in the last 10 days. He added that Ankaras priority remained the creation of a safe zone between the Syrian towns of Azaz and Jarablus, a strip of border territory to the north of al-Bab.

The Turkish sources said Pompeo would discuss both the YPG and steps against the network of U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey accuses of orchestrating last Julys coup attempt. Gulen denies any involvement.

Turkey has been frustrated by what it considers to be Washingtons reluctance to hand over Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999.

As you know, we have two fundamental issues with the U.S. administration inherited from Obamas period. One is the support given to YPG and the other is the (Gulen) problem, Kalin said.

Our president spoke about these openly and clearly. Trump was informed on these and, without going into too much detail, he said lets ask our teams to work on this and lets give the necessary instructions.

Reporting by Washington newsroom, Tulay Karadeniz and Humeyra Pamuk in Ankara; editing by Nick Tattersall and Mark Heinrich

Originally posted here:
Erdogan, Trump agree joint action against Islamic State in ...

Erdogan reportedly called Maduro on Wednesday to confirm Turkeys support for his dictatorship after the National Assembly, the only democratic institution left in the country, swore in Juan Guaid as the legitimate president of Venezuela. The Venezuelan constitution requires the people to reject the legitimacy of a leader who either violates human rights or disturbs the democratic order, both of which Maduro is guilty of doing.

The United States has recognized Guaid, previously the president of the National Assembly, as the legitimate president and, as such, will disregard any authority Maduro claims to have.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Erdogan said he was shocked that the Trump administration would not support Maduro, even though Trump made opposition to socialism in Venezuela a pillar of his 2016 presidential campaign.

I was shocked by Trumps attitude [to the situation in Venezuela]. It is necessary to respect the person who won the election. We are coming out against any anti-democratic actions, Erdogan said. If Maduro takes a tough stance I believe the Venezuelan people will back their elected president.

Erdogan went on to accuse those who did not respect election results of being totalitarian.

Maduro held a presidential election in May 2018 in which he blocked all non-Marxist opposition candidates. He ran against several Chavista loyalists and the Communist Party of Venezuela. The opposition, which contained some soft-socialist elements, called for ageneral boycott of the election as they could not participate in it. The abstention rate in the election, according to some estimates, was over 80 percent, and observers noted the use of violence and intimidation to ensure voters chose Maduro at the ballot.

Erdogan held his own rigged presidential election in June, blocking most opposition candidates from television and competing against one candidate, Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) candidate Selahattin Demirtas, imprisoned for dissident statements against the regime. While not as clearly fraudulent as Maduros Erdogan did allow for the secularist opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) to run a candidate, if not nearly outright banning him from media appearances the Turkish presidential race still elicited global condemnation for being held in an intimidating and unfair environment.

In addition to public statements Thursday, Erdogan reportedly personally called Maduro on Wednesday to offer his support. According to Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, Erdogan said, Maduro brother, stand tall, Turkey stands with you.

Turkish state media has also begun attacking the United States, blaming Washington, DC, for Guaids inauguration. The administration in Washington had merely accepted his status as president as per the constitution of Venezuela and had not previously made any moves to impose his leadership on Venezuela.

The Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency nonetheless published an infographic Thursday accusing America of a long history of fueling coups, including alleged support for Alberto [sic] Pinochet in Chile and various Middle East strongmen.

The U.S. supported coups not only in nearby countries and regions like Central America but also in the Mideast, Europe, andFarEast, causing sorrow, deaths, and underdevelopment, Anadolu alleged.

Turkey joins Russia, Iran, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, Cuba, Bolivia, the Palestinian Authority, and a small number of other totalitarian regimes in recognizing Maduro over Guaid.

Erdogan has spent years cultivating the relationship with Maduro despite the fact that Erdogans Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) claims to be a right-wing, anti-socialist party. During the early years of his presidency, Erdogan won support by promoting free market, capitalist reforms to the Turkish economy and has continued to face opposition from much of the secularist Turkish left. Yet he has also embraced relationships with some of the worlds most prominent failed socialist governments, with Venezuelas at the top of the list.

Erdoganinvited Maduro to a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation last year and his inaugurationlast July. The relationship appeared to culminate this month with Venezuela agreeing to allow Turkey to refinethousands of tons of gold ore from the South American country, which is a lucrative business for Turkey.

Erdogan promised last month that Turkey would cover [Venezuelas] necessities economically in exchange for access to its natural resources, including providing funding to develop a large mosque in Caracas, despite a negligible Muslim population in the majority-Catholic country.

Follow Frances Martel onFacebookandTwitter.

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Turkey's Erdogan: 'Maduro Brother, Stand Tall' in Venezuela

ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is telling his embattled Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, to "stand tall" in the face of national and international calls to step down amid a political crisis.

Maduro's opponents accuse him of undermining democracy. He has presided over skyrocketing inflation, a collapsing economy and widespread shortages of basic goods.

Erdogan said Thursday he was shocked at U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president.

In response to the announcement, Maduro said Wednesday he was ending diplomatic relations with the United States and ordered U.S. diplomats to leave within 72 hours. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Maduro no longer has the authority to do so.

Erdogan maintained that Maduro will prevail "If he continues to stand strong in the path he believes in."

"Maduro, brother, stand tall. Turkey stands with you," Erdogan told Maduro by telephone, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin tweeted Thursday.

"I thank Russia, China, Turkey, and other governments and people of the world for their strong support of the legitimately established government of Venezuela," Maduro said in a Twitter post. "Venezuela is not alone!" he added.

Despite the religiously conservative Erdogan and the left-wing Maduro coming from opposite ends of the political spectrum, the two leaders have built a strong relationship.

Maduro is a regular visitor to Turkey. He attended the Turkish president's inauguration, while Erdogan visited Venezuela last year. Maduro provoked widespread condemnation after images of him dining at a famous Istanbul steak house went viral. Many Venezuelans are struggling to find enough to eat due to widespread food shortages.

"The support of Erdogan is vital for Maduro," said Esra Akgemci of Turkey's Selcuk University.

"It is clear that Maduro sees Turkey as a strategic alliance and wants to build deeper relations," she added. "The support of Erdogan is more discursive. Erdogan himself had also suffered from a coup attempt [in 2016] and could not find the support he was seeking from the EU and USA, so supporting Maduro against a probable coup would strengthen his position both in internal and international politics."

During the visit to Caracas, Erdogan pledged that Turkish companies would invest over $4.5 billion in Venezuela. Turkey has an agreement to process tons of Venezuelan gold; a move interpreted as a possible way to circumvent future U.S. sanctions. Turkish Airlines continues daily flights to Caracas, while many other international carriers have stopped service.

Turkish media are also strongly backing Maduro, accusing Washington of seeking to bring down a democratically elected president. "U.S.-backed coup attempt, this time in Venezuela," read one headline.

"Massive U.S. pressure on any country could devastate its economy, finances, and politics easily. President Maduro's principled resistance against these international pressures is exemplary," wrote columnist Hakki Ocal in the pro-government Sabah newspaper.

Murat Yetkin, a well-known liberal journalist tweeted, "U.S.'s post-modern coup attempt in Venezuela cannot be accepted. The suffering of the people who live in the country with the richest oil reserves under the Maduro administration doesn't change that. The decision cannot be taken by the U.S. or Trump. Next, there might be an occupation, by the U.S. or its collaborators."

Drawing parallels

Turkish media have drawn parallels between Turkey and Venezuela, after Trump, in a tweet this month, threatened to "devastate" the Turkish economy if Ankara attacked U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish rebels.

In Turkey;'s deeply politically polarized society there is a rare consensus in support of Maduro.

"Most of the people here who can't find Venezuela let alone Caracas on the map, are all fully behind Maduro," said former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen, "because they think the U.S. again is behind a coup or military intervention, as they did previously in Libya as they did in Egypt, as they did in Iraq. From the most hard core Islamist to the most hard core leftist today in Turkey, there is anti-Americanism. It is deep. It is fervent."

The social media hashtag #WeAreMaduro, became one of the leading trending topics in Turkey, with many Turks posting images and comments in support for Maduro. The picture of Maduro holding an ancient Turkic flag is widely circulated.

Turkey and Latin America share similar histories of coups throughout the 1960s, '70s and '80s. Many in Turkey accuse the U.S. of being involved in the military takeovers. Turkish ministers openly accused the U.S. of being involved in the 2016 coup attempt, a charge Washington has denied.

Erdogan's support for Maduro is expected to continue. Analysts point out standing up to what is deemed as "American imperialism" plays well in Turkey, and critical local elections are due to March; however, former diplomat Selcen suggests such support will remain mostly empty words.

"It's mainly rhetoric," said Selcen."There are some rumors that if things go south for Maduro, he can perhaps find refuge in Turkey. But I believe it's just about pleasing the crowd. When it comes to Venezuela, Turkey does not have the capacity to extend support to Venezuela. It's out of area."

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Turkey's Erdogan Stands Firm With Venezuela's Maduro