Turkey warned over Venezuela gold trade

Turkey warned over Venezuela gold trade

By Mark Lowen
BBC Turkey correspondent, Istanbul

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Image captionVenezuelan Vice President El Aissami (C) visited Ahlatci gold refinery in Corum, Turkey, on 16 January

The Turkish government is coming under renewed pressure to stop buying gold from Venezuela, the BBC has learned.

A senior Western diplomatic source told the BBC that Turkey was now considered the main concern among the countries engaging in the trade.

They added that there are growing suspicions that gold exported to Turkey was ending up in Iran, which would violate US sanctions.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan backs Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is facing a growing political challenge.