Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez has said that his country is ready to become a venue for possible talks on the Venezuelan crisis settlement, local media reported.
The VTV broadcaster also reported that Vazquez discussed the Venezuelan crisis in phone talks with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Monday.
The statements come after another Latin American leader, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, said on January 25 that his country was willing to act as a mediator in talks between the Venezuelan authorities and opposition provided that the sides agreed to the offer.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly said that he is open to talks with the opposition at any time, however, speaker of the opposition-led Venezuelan National Assembly Juan Guaido has questioned sincerity of the government’s offer and maintained that he is unwilling to join a “fake” dialogue.
On January 15, the National Assembly declared Maduro, whose last year’s re-election it considers illegitimate, a usurper. Last Wednesday, Guaido proclaimed himself the country’s interim president.
The United States and a number of other countries have recognized the opposition leader and demanded that a new election be held in the Latin American country. Maduro slammed Guaido as a US “puppet” and accused Washington of organizing a coup in Venezuela.
Russia, Uruguay, Mexico, and Turkey voiced their support for Maduro as the country’s only legitimate president, with Moscow also expressing readiness to act as a mediator in the conflict between the government and the opposition. (UNI)
