Agreement without guarantees will strengthen Maduro’s dictatorship: opposition

Juan Guiadó has been interim president since January 2019.

Leaders of that sector ask that an eventual lifting of sanctions be conditioned.

The US delegation that visited Venezuela also met with Juan Guaidó, as confirmed by the opposition leader in a statement in which he stressed that any energy agreement must be conditioned and with guarantees, because otherwise “You would be financing and strengthening a dictatorship accused of crimes against humanity”, says the text.

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The statement calls for “real progress towards the transition to democracy” and that if sanctions are lifted, conditions must exist. The text comes days after both the Joe Biden administration and that of Nicolás Maduro confirmed the meeting in Caracas.

Russia has been a fundamental support for Venezuela to evade US sanctions on the Caribbean country that has also had an oil embargo since 2019, when the United States recognized Guaidó as interim president.

Communiqué of the Legitimate Government before the visit of the US delegation:

“We ratify our position to resume negotiations in Mexico and reiterate that any lifting of sanctions must be conditional on real progress towards the transition” https://t.co/jn81TKwoGP

— National Communication Center (@Presidencia_VE) March 9, 2022

On the possible restart of the dialogue in Mexico, Guaidó’s office assured that the opposition is willing to resume talks “as soon as possible to achieve free presidential and parliamentary elections and guarantees for all sectors.”

Juan Guaidó wrote on his Twitter that only with a “real solution” to the crisis, Venezuela will be able to be a “safe and reliable supplier of energy.”

Until now it is unknown when the dialogue process would be reactivated in Mexico and if the same actors will remain in the meetings sponsored by Norway.

Relieving sanctions on the dictatorship should only be done with irreversible steps towards freedom and redemocratization.

Only with a real solution to the crisis, Venezuela will have democratic, institutional and transparency guarantees, to be a safe and reliable supplier of energy.

– Juan Guaidó (@jguaido) March 9, 2022