Erdogan urges Maduro to 'stand tall'

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan kept up support for Venezuela’s tottering strongman Nicolas Maduro today, saying he was a democratically elected leader and needed to be respected as such.

Speaking at a joint news conference in Ankara with visiting Maltese President Marie-Louise Coleira Preca, Erdogan asserted, "If you do not respect election results, then this is not democracy.” Erdogan urged Maduro to keep resisting opposition leader Juan Guaido’s efforts to topple him. “Should Maduro stand tall and continue on the path he believes in, I am certain that the people of Venezuela will stand behind him,” Erdogan said.