Interview with Venezuela’s ambassador to Türkiye.
Interview with Venezuela’s ambassador to Türkiye.
By Adnan Türkkan
Coup Attempts, economic sanctions, election interference… Now the US appears to be preparing another attack on Venezuela, but this time with its own arms.
We were guest to Venezuela’s Ambassador to Ankara, Freddy Molina at his residence in Türkiye’s capital. The Ambassador explained the US’s objectives and Venezuela’s countermeasures.
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“Day of Solidarity”
Many people are visiting your embassy today on the occasion of Venezuela Solidarity Day. What does this day mean for you?
This Day of Solidarity, which we have designated as September 19, is not just about Venezuela; it can be seen as a day of solidarity with all countries subjected to imperialist pressures like ours.
As you can see today, the imperialist monster is on its last legs. Its eradication from history could happen at any moment. Yet, it continues to struggle in its final throes, turning its gaze to nearby countries as a last hope. People across our embassies worldwide and through various platforms are showing support for Venezuela. This isn’t just support for our country, it’s also a sign of solidarity with other nations in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The murderous Israeli government has also issued an ultimatum to the people of Palestine, demanding they leave Gaza. That gives today an additional layer of importance. It’s crucial to show solidarity with all oppressed nations, like Venezuela and Palestine. In today’s world, global solidarity is more important than ever. Therefore, this day holds a dual significance. Many people from various institutions and social classes across Türkiye are visiting us and offering their support. We are deeply grateful to all of them.
Drug issue is just pretext
Recently, we’ve seen the US has claims about drugs. What is this drug issue about? What does the US want from Venezuela?
To answer that, I’ll give a brief historical reminder. For a hundred years, Venezuela depended on a single product, and it had only one customer. We produced oil, and all of it went to the US. But with the revolution, we decided to reclaim our independence and assert complete sovereignty over all our natural resources. Under the previous system, all oil revenues flowed to the US, leaving our people without benefit. From the start of the revolution, we faced constant, escalating attacks and interventions. For years, they tried to intimidate us with sanctions. When that didn’t work, they sought to escalate their intervention to the military level.
Now they’ve begun operations in the region under the pretext of drug trafficking. According to them, these drugs aren’t just passing through Venezuela, they claim they’re produced here, which is false. Using this pretext, they’ve deployed eight destroyers, one nuclear submarine, and countless other warships along our coasts.
But here’s the reality: according to data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 87% of the drug traffic originates directly from Colombia, following the Pacific route to reach the US. Another 8% also comes directly from Colombia via the Caribbean to the US. Only the remaining 5%, according to them, passes through Venezuela and neighboring countries. These are not our figures, they come from international institutions in the US. And these numbers have been updated this year.
The real motive: Venezuela’s natural resources
It’s quite clear that these interventions have nothing to do with drug trafficking. So what remains as the real motive? It’s the seizure of our country’s natural resources. We’ve always said that Venezuela holds the world’s largest oil reserves. Beyond oil, we are third in global natural gas reserves and third in gold reserves. Additionally, out of the 16 so-called rare earth elements, 13 are found in Venezuela. And Venezuela also stands out for its freshwater resources, which we believe will be a key reason for future conflicts. In short, Venezuela is a highly tempting target for the US.
For instance, transporting an oil-laden ship from the Gulf countries to a refinery in Houston, Texas, takes around 43–48 days. But from Venezuela, oil tankers can reach the same refinery in just 4–6 days. For 200 years, the US considered Latin America its “backyard.” Now, seeing that they can’t exert influence in distant parts of the world, they’ve once again turned their eyes to nearby lands, Latin America.
Like they did to Gaddafi
These ideas have been simmering in the US for a long time, and now they’re moving into the implementation phase, which is genuinely concerning. They’ve even begun threatening military intervention, and we’ve already seen examples of their actions globally. For instance, in Iran, they claimed the country had nuclear weapons, but none of it was ever proven. Previously, they toppled Gaddafi in Libya, spreading countless rumors about him, yet almost none of them were substantiated.
What measures is Venezuela taking to counter the US military threat? And diplomatically, what steps is Venezuela taking in terms of solidarity with other countries?
From the very beginning of our revolution, we anticipated such a scenario. This imperialist power would inevitably try to overthrow us. Our people are highly aware of current developments because we’ve learned lessons from recent history. From the first days of the revolution, we understood that a conventional war on equal terms against the world’s most powerful and well-equipped army was impossible.
Eight million volunteers for the Army
Although the US has been developing attack plans against us, we have also been continuously working on our own strategies and defense plans since the earliest days of the revolution. We always emphasize defense strategies because we are committed to peace. The Bolivarian revolution is a peaceful revolution, but we are not naive. Commander Chávez used to say, “This is a peaceful revolution, but also an armed revolution.” However, these weapons are never intended to attack other countries, they are strictly for our defense. Faced with this US mobilization, our people have acted with high awareness, and the unity among citizens has strengthened considerably.
When our President Nicolás Maduro made such a call, it drew tremendous attention among the people. Citizens from all walks of life, young and old alike, enrolled, showing willingness to receive at least basic training. Hopefully, it will never be necessary, but of course, the aim is to prepare to defend ourselves in the face of a potential attack.
Alongside our existing armed forces, this call has received responses from over 8 million people. Considering that our country has a population of about 30 million, a figure like 8 million is remarkable and probably very rare in world history. The US is currently the most powerful and heavily armed military force in the world. Therefore, in addition to our regular army, we plan to respond primarily through resistance and guerrilla attacks. Venezuelans are inherently ready to do whatever it takes to defend the land they love. Should they attempt a military intervention on our soil, the chances of them leaving safely are extremely low.
“We overcame sanctions thanks to Türkiye, Russia, China, and Iran”
What would the US face if it attacked Venezuela?
It’s very difficult, if not impossible, to predict the actions of a beast that attacks so violently. Against any potential US aggression, the Bolivarian government and our people are highly united. In the past, they waged war against us through other means, for example, sanctions. These sanctions nearly brought our country to bankruptcy. Even with our money and oil, we couldn’t buy basic necessities because the world had turned its back on us. Back then, we were able to resist thanks to countries like Türkiye, Russia, China, and Iran. It was through the support of these friendly and allied nations that we managed to overcome the hardships created by the sanctions.
“We are not the same Venezuela as ten years ago”
But we are no longer the Venezuela of ten years ago. We have changed. Before the sanctions, we were almost entirely dependent on imports for our consumption needs. Now, that has changed. We can produce nearly 100% of our basic consumption items domestically. Sometimes, such hardships push people to move forward. Currently, Venezuela has the highest economic growth rates in the region. Over the past eighteen quarters, our country has seen consistent growth. This is not just our data—it comes from the International Monetary Fund.
There is now greater solidarity among the people, and a widespread belief has taken hold: “As a country, we all have the right to determine our own destiny.” If any undesirable situation arises, it is resolved internally through tools such as elections, entirely within the country.
Every country has the right to self-determination and independence. Yet these imperialist powers always, of course, disregard the importance of the Bolivarian militias. It’s as if they learned nothing from Vietnam. In fact, among themselves, they even ridicule the idea of enrolling very elderly Venezuelans in the army. There were lessons to be learned from Vietnam. Yet it seems someone has forgotten them all.
“We stand against the Zionist regime”
What is Venezuela’s approach regarding the Palestine issue?
As you know, today the Israeli government issued an ultimatum demanding that the Palestinian people evacuate their lands. All forms of imperialism are terrifying. We are not enemies of the people. However, we stand firmly against this expansionist, imperialist, Zionist regime.
Currently, whether it’s countries in Latin America, Europe, or the rest of the world, almost everyone shares the same view when it comes to Palestine. What is happening there is a horrific massacre and genocide. In the 20th and 21st centuries, such atrocities are unconscionable. There is no justification for these inhumane massacres, and we believe that all countries must unite and raise their voices against them.
They even use white phosphorus bombs against babies in Palestine. On the other hand, they deploy nuclear submarines to attack tiny boats in Venezuela. This imperialist monster, now on the brink of collapse and extinction, has intensified its violence in its final stages. They have become, in a way, creatures feeding on blood.