Economics
Mysterious Turkish Firm Helped Maduro Move $900 Million in Gold
- Turkey joined Russia, Iran and others in backing Maduro
- Erdogan has tried to alleviate U.S. financial pressure
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Two months after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro visited his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, a mysterious company called Sardes sprang into existence.
The firm started business with a bang in January of 2018, when it imported about $41 million worth of gold from Venezuela, the first such transaction between the two countries in records that go back 50 years. The next month its volume more than doubled, with Sardes transporting almost $100 million worth to Turkey.