Venezuelan government refuses to participate in new round of negotiations with opposition

CARACAS, Aug 8, 2019, TASS. Venezuelan administration decided against participating in the next round of negotiations with the opposition in Barbados, the corresponding document was published on Twitter by the Minister of Communications and Information of the Bolivarian Republic, Jorge Rodriguez on Wednesday, reported the TASS.

“Although the opposition delegation nominated by [the opposition leader] Juan Guaido is already in Barbados to participate in the negotiations scheduled for this week, the president of [Venezuela] Nicolas Maduro has decided not to send [his] delegation,” the statement reads.

The document notes that the reason for the refusal is “dangerous and gross aggression against Venezuela by the [US President Donald] Trump administration,” which is supported by the opposition of the Bolivarian Republic.

In May, at least two rounds of indirect negotiations between the authorities and the Venezuelan opposition took place in Oslo through the mediation of the Norwegian government. On July 8, a new phase of dialogue began in Barbados. Maduro stated that the negotiations were intense, and did not rule out that consultations could result in reaching agreements.

On January 23, the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, Guaido, whose appointment to the post of speaker of the parliament two days earlier was canceled by the Supreme Court, declared himself acting president. He was recognized as the interim head of state by the United States and Lima Group (except Mexico). The Organization of American States and most EU countries joined them.

Maduro called the incident an attempted coup and announced the severance of diplomatic relations with the United States. Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Iran, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Syria and Turkey supported him.

Tags: Venezuela