Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said an agreement between his government and the country’s political opposition would likely be reached by the end of the year, adding that his administration is open to dialogue with all opposition groups.
“I am sure that in 2019 we will reach a great agreement on mutual understanding and peace, dialogue and democracy for Venezuela”, Maduro told Venezuelan state television.
The president also reaffirmed his government’s readiness to continue talks with the opposition in Norway.
“I would like to reaffirm the government’s readiness for the dialogue in Norway, aimed at creating a permanent mechanism for talks and search for solutions. This is the goal and I can say that the process is developing in a good manner”, Maduro said.
The situation in Venezuela has been tense since January, when anti-government protests, fueled by opposition leader Juan Guaido’s proclamation as the nation's interim president, erupted.
Maduro slammed Guaido, saying he acted at the orders of the United States, which sought to install him as the country’s president and get hold of Venezuela’s oil assets.
The government and the opposition held several rounds of talks, mediated by Norway, however, no deal has yet been reached.
The Norwegian government said progress had been made at the negotiations between stakeholders in Oslo. They reportedly included government officials and people loyal to opposition leader Guaido.
The United States and 54 countries recognize Guaido as Venezuela’s leader. However, Russia, China, Iran, and numerous other countries recognize constitutionally-elected Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela.
Russia has said the United States is strangling Venezuela with sanctions in an attempt to drag the Latin American nation into chaos.
