Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Monday that he will discuss “The opening of a direct dialogue with the American government”, with whom diplomatic relations have been broken for two years, as part of the ongoing negotiations with the opposition.
Read also :Venezuela towards a resumption of dialogue
“We are going to discuss” during negotiations which will open on August 30 in Mexico under the mediation of Norway, “Opening a direct dialogue with the US government to address all bilateral issues”Nicolas Maduro said at a press conference. “We are always ready, but (the United States) must stop their arrogance, their hatred and their contempt”, he continued.
Diplomatic relations between the United States and Venezuela have been severed since Washington recognized in January 2019 the opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president, as nearly sixty countries. The administration of former President Donald Trump called Nicolas Maduro “dictator” since his re-election in 2018 marred by serious suspicions of fraud, and has increased economic sanctions, including an oil embargo. However, Nicolas Maduro assured to have “Had an indirect dialogue and a dialogue in various forms with the government of Donald Trump”.
New round of negotiations
With the arrival in power of Joe Biden, the socialist leader successor to Hugo Chavez (1999-2013) had already shown himself inclined to resume dialogue with the Democratic president. “I hope that after this round table, channels of contact, dialogue and negotiation can be opened with the government of the United States”, to Nicolas Maduro.
The Venezuelan government and the opposition launched a new round of negotiations in Mexico on Friday, after the failure of talks in Barbados in 2019 and in the Dominican Republic in 2018, to end the political and economic crisis that is undermining Venezuela. The United States, Canada and the European Union welcomed the resumption of talks, reiterating their offer to lift the sanctions against the country if successful.
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