Russia: Venezuelan opposition seeks contact with Moscow

ANKARA

Russia has never suspended dialogue with the representatives of Venezuelan political landscape, the government and the opposition, said Russia's foreign minister.

People representing opposition leader Juan Guaido are seeking contact with Moscow, said Sergey Lavrov during an interview with Latin American media and a Russian media outlet on Tuesday, which was published on the Foreign Ministry's website.

"We are explaining to them why the attempts to resolve domestic issues by provoking external interference, like the regular threats by the US that we are seeing, are unacceptable: all options are on the table," Lavrov stressed.

"The situation in Venezuela seems to be changing for the better," he said.

He emphasized that supporting dialogue between the South American country's government and opposition to reach an agreement without any preconditions -- the position taken by he Montevideo Mechanism (Bolivia, Mexico and Uruguay) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) -- is "much more feasible" than EU's ultimatum to urgently hold presidential elections in Venezuela, as it "complies with international law".

"Ultimately, after the botched attempts to trigger, at one go, another of these color revolutions from abroad, the situation has moved to what we call the Oslo process," said Lavrov. "This process seeks to secure agreements and compromise between the government and the opposition," he added.

Lavrov hailed the positive comments by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and members of the opposition regarding the course of the negotiations. This shows that the sides can reach an agreement that will suit everyone, he added.

"This will primarily be in the interests of the Venezuelan people." he stressed.

Hampered by opposition from the Venezuelan army and popular challenges to his legitimacy, Guaido's delegation agreed to take part in Oslo and Barbados initiatives for negotiation talks with the government.

Although the Oslo talks in May bore no fruit, the sides have yet to make a clear statement about the content of the recent Barbados talks or any possible agreements.

While Guaido maintains his harsh rhetoric against the government despite the ongoing "peace negotiations", Maduro and his delegation call the dialogue process "successful".

Political unrest has been ongoing in Venezuela between Maduro and Guaido since Jan. 10.

Guaido in January proclaimed himself the rightful president of Venezuela, dismissing Maduro’s 2018 re-election as a fraud, a move recognized by more than 50 countries, including the U.S.

But Venezuelan state institutions as well as the military have been putting their weight behind Maduro.

Turkey has also supported Maduro as the country’s legitimate ruler in the face of foreign-backed coup attempts.