Moscow: Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro said he was prepared to hold negotiations with the US-backed opposition and added he would support early parliamentary elections, RIA Novosti reported on Wednesday.
“I am ready to sit down at the negotiating table with the opposition so that we could talk for the good of Venezuela,” Maduro told the Russian state news agency in an interview in Caracas.
Maduro also said Russian President Vladimir Putin had promised him more economic and military support during phone talks last week.
“Most modern arms supplies will be arriving in Venezuela,” the Venezuelan leader said, adding such supplies were arriving “every month.”
“There is cooperation every month. This is normal, nothing extraordinary about this,” he added.
Venezuela is a rare Moscow ally in Latin America.
The two countries have a long history of ties and Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chavez, known for his tirades against the United States, was a welcome guest at the Kremlin.
Last week the oil-rich but economically devastated Latin American country was plunged into uncertainty when the US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido proclaimed himself “acting president.’’
The United States, a dozen Latin American countries and Canada have recognized Guaido as interim president, while China and Russia — Venezuela’s two main creditors — have urged non-interference.
In the interview with RIA Novosti, Maduro said he would support early parliamentary elections.
“It would be very good to conduct parliamentary elections at an earlier stage, it would be a good form of political discussion,” Maduro said.
At the same time he dismissed the possibility of holding a new presidential poll any time soon.
— AFP
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