CARACAS: The Venezuelan government will resume talks with the opposition on Friday after a gap of more than a year, in a bid to resolve a political crisis that has existed since a contested election in 2018.
Talks between the two sides last took place in October last year. In recent months, international efforts to bring them back on the table have mounted.
The opposition is calling for free and fair elections in 2024, while Caracas wanted the international community to recognize Nicolas Maduro as the rightful president and lift sanctions.
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro announced the new round of talks on Twitter, saying negotiations between Maduro’s government and Venezuelan opposition will be held on 25 and 26 November.
He did not reveal the place where these talks would be held. However, a source told AFP that delegates would meet in Mexico City on Friday.
Venezuela’s political crisis exacerbated economic problems
Venezuela was already embroiled in a severe economic and brutal government crackdown against protesters when a controversial presidential election caused a political crisis.
Maduro declared himself the winner of the elections, which were widely seen as rigged. The controversy over the election result and Maduro’s declaration prompted massive protests in the country.
Meanwhile, around sixty countries, including the United States recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as acting president of Venezuela.
Later, the United States along European Union imposed crippling sanctions on Venezuela that worsened the economy, already gripped by rising inflation.
Under the sanctions, Venezuela was prevented from trading its crude oil— 90% of the country’s revenue—in the US market.
After the two unsuccessful talks, the most recent round started in August 2021 in Mexico, and hardly lasted for two months.
Earlier this month, delegates from both sides held a meeting in Paris, which was mediated by French President Emmanuel Macron.
International efforts to find a solution to the Venezuelan crisis mounted after the Russian action against Ukraine as it has also placed pressure on global energy supplies.
Sanctions eased by US
As the war surged energy prices, US President Joe Biden announced in May to ease some sanctions.
Meanwhile, Guaido’s influence has ebbed and he has lost important allies both at home and abroad.
Colombia’s President Petro has become a new actor in the negotiations since becoming the first leftist president in the country in August.
He has tried to improve his country’s relations with Venezuela by reestablishing diplomatic relations for the first time since 2019 when the then president Ivan Duque refused to recognize Maduro as president.
Venezuela is now also hosting Colombian government’s peace negotiations with National Liberation Army, the last rebel group in the country. –APP/AFP
