Mosque Being Built in Venezuela Capital

TEHRAN (IQNA) – Turkey has started working on plans to build a mosque in Caracas after a request from Venezuelan authorities, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said late Monday during a press conference with his counterpart Nicolas Maduro.

"Upon a request by Venezuelan authorities, we have started our work to build a mosque in capital Caracas, and we are looking for a suitable area to build it," Erdogan said, according to the Daily Sabah reported.

Praising the Latin American country and its leader for their hospitality, and especially Maduro's stance for the Palestinian cause, Erdogan added that Turkey wants to develop its relations with the country in all fields including cultural, business and diplomatic relations.

Erdogan is currently on an official Latin America tour, following the G-20 summit in Argentina.

There are approximately 100,000 Muslims in Venezuela which make up 0.5 percent of the nation's population.