Turkish Foreign Minister Directly Send Aid To Venezuela To Handle COVID-19

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (Instagram / @mevlutcavusoglu)

JAKARTA - Assistance from Turkey to assist the Venezuelan government against the spread of COVID-19 continues. The provision of aid was led directly by the Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu in Caracas on Tuesday, August 18.

Launching Reuters, on the sidelines of delivering aid, Cavusoglu also held a short meeting with President Nicolas Maduro and Vice President Delcy Rodriguez. He revealed that the plane he was traveling on also carried a variety of medical equipment, such as the previous aid sent in July, including a rapid test to detect COVID-19.

Cavusoglu also revealed that the aid sent by Turkey is the fruit of friendship between the two countries which have forged a lot of cooperation, including various health projects overseen by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA). Through this assistance, Turkey has further cemented its status as Maduro's main supporter when the prolonged crisis befell Venezuela.

Therefore, the assistance provided by Turkey is very helpful for the Venezuelan government in fighting COVID-19. This is because Turkey became the first country to approach when Venezuela's relationship with the United States did not run in harmony.

With this assistance, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Jorge Arreaza, in a television broadcast revealed that the relations between the two countries are currently getting closer. He thinks that nothing can hinder the friendship between the two countries that has been established for years.

"Neither sanctions, or blockades, nor any situation will prevent us from deepening our economic and commercial ties," said Arreaza.

So far Venezuela has confirmed 34,802 cases of COVID-19 transmission. Among them, there were 288 cases died.