Venezuelan President: It's time for direct negotiations with the United States

Maduro said in an interview with The Washington Post, the first for American media outlets in a while, that if the U.S. removed the sanctions, significant changes would occur. "A mutual respect and dialogue relationship results in a win-win situation." There will be no crisis solution if there is no regime change "

Venezuelan President: It's time for direct negotiations with the United States

(Video: Juan Guido succeeds in parliament after clashes)

Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro said in an interview with The Washington Post last Friday that it was time for direct negotiations with the United States to end the political stalemate in the country. He added that although Washington would remove the sanctions imposed on Venezuela, significant changes may occur "If there is respect between governments, no matter how big the United States is, and if there is dialogue and real exchange of information, then we can certainly create a new kind of relationship."

In an exclusive and extensive interview with the newspaper, his first with American media since February, when he expelled foreign journalists from his country, he said, "A mutual respect and dialogue relationship leads to a win-win situation. A confrontational relationship results in a loss-and-loss situation - this The formula. "

Last week, the United States imposed sanctions on seven Venezuelan government officials, following the takeover of security forces by his department's directive on Congress last week. In doing so, his generation did not allow members of the opposition headed by Congress-backed Juan Guido to enter the building during the vote on the election of the next congressman. His opponents chose another leader by the name of Luis Farra as the congressional chairman, on whom, along with six other senior officials, the sanctions were imposed.

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If there is respect between governments, we can create a new relationship. ”Maduru in a speech to the National Assembly in Caracas this month (Photo: Reuters)

Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro delivers annual speech at Caracas Constituent Assembly - January 14, 2020 (Photo: Reuters)

However, Maduro did not express his willingness to step down from his position as president, to Washington's displeasure, recognizing opposition chairman Juan Guido as the country's rightful president. Instead, the 57-year-old leader said the reelection would only take place in a few years. He also denied US and European diplomats' assertion that in talks held in Norway last year, his government offered the opposition a deal that included re-election elections.

Along with the United States, nearly 60 more countries are declaring Guido as Venezuela's president, after Maduro's re-election last year, which was saturated with forgery. Officials in the United States as well as the European powers have claimed in recent weeks that Maduro is trying to sabotage the country's opposition activity - the only democratic institution in Venezuela - to take control of it and formulate what they call "authoritarian power." Even Argentina, whose new left government tried to differentiate itself from the conservative bloc on the continent leading Maduro's isolation, condemned the move and said it was illegitimate.

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What President Guiado wants is free and fair elections. ”Guido (Photo: Reuters)

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guido in Carcass, July 5, 2019 (Photo: Reuters)

Leopoldo Lopez, a senior opposition man currently residing at the Spanish Embassy in Caracas, said "what he (Maduro) wants is a fake election, one that will produce a national assembly of puppets." He said, "What President Guido and most Venezuelans and the international community are calling for is free and fair presidential elections. There will be no solution to the crisis if there is no change in the regime."

Venezuela is rich in oil and resources, but in recent years it has collapsed economically and socially. Opponents of the regime link this to socialist rule and corruption, while Maduro's allies say the United States is responsible for it. 30 million people are suffering from rising inflation and fuel shortages, running water and electricity. About 4.5 million civilians have fled their country in recent years, in numbers reminiscent of Syria.