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Venezuelan armed forces will prevent civil war, pledges Defense Ministry

Russia, Bolivia, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua and Turkey expressed their support for Maduro

MOSCOW, January 24. /TASS/. The Venezuelan army will do its utmost to avert an armed conflict between nationals of the country, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said on a statement issued on Thursday.

The armed forces "will prevent confrontation between Venezuelans at any cost," he said. "A civil war cannot be the solution for the problems facing Venezuela," Lopez stressed, confirming once again that the armed forces don’t recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president of the country.

On January 23, Juan Guaido declared himself acting president during an opposition rally in Caracas. Venezuela's incumbent President Nicolas Maduro described these developments as an attempted coup organized by Washington and said he was breaking diplomatic ties with the US.

The Lima Group member-countries, except for Mexico, as well as Albania, Georgia, the US and the Organization of American States (OAS) have already recognized Guaido as Venezuela's interim president. Some EU countries spoke in support of Venezuela’s parliament, expressing hope that elections will be held to resolve the crisis.

Russia, Bolivia, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua and Turkey expressed their support for Maduro. Belarus and China called for resolving all disagreements peacefully and spoke out against outside interference, while the UN secretary general spoke out in favor of dialogue to find a solution to the crisis.