According to one of the sources, the Bank of England's decision was influenced by several senior US officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton, who had allegedly pressured their British counterparts.
Meanwhile, last autumn the Venezuelan authorities decided to send several dozen tons of gold to Turkey for refining.
READ MORE: US Gives Venezuela's Opposition Leader Juan Guaido Control Over Some Assets
Yunus Soner, vice president of the Department of International Relations of the Turkish VATAN Party, shared his view of the situation in Venezuela, as well as his outlook for refining the country's gold in friendly countries, with Sputnik.
Soner believes that Western efforts to corner Venezuela economically through sanctions and coups are bound to fail.
"The attempted coup won't be a success because those who represent the opposition, whom the United States has recognized as ‘the new power', are not in a position to create a government adequate for the Venezuelan reality", he explained.
Speaking of the Bank of England's refusal to issue $1.2 billion worth of gold to Maduro, as well as the Venezuelan authorities' decision to process some of their gold reserves in Turkey, Soner said that if a pro-US government takes power in Venezuela, the country will return to pre-Chávez times, when "the Venezuelan people were afraid to go out and were gasping under the pressure of economic problems". The politician believes that today, only Maduro's government is able to govern the country.
"As for the processing of gold, the Venezuelan authorities, to guarantee social stability, economic security and development, must refine their gold reserves in friendly countries such as Turkey and Russia", Soner told Sputnik.
The views and opinions expressed by the speaker do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.