MOSCOW, January 30. /TASS/. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s statement about his readiness to hold talks with the opposition is highly commendable, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"Without a doubt, President Maduro’s openness to dialogue is highly commendable," he said.
When asked if talks about mediation were underway with the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Kremlin spokesman recommended to forward the question to the ministry.
"According to information I have, no specific proposals have been made so far," Peskov said.
Political upheaval rocks Venezuela
Juan Guaido, Venezuelan opposition leader and parliament speaker, whose appointment to that position had been cancelled by the country’s Supreme Court, declared himself interim president at a rally in the country’s capital of Caracas on January 23.
Several countries, including the United States, Lima Group members (excluding Mexico), Australia, Albania, Georgia and Israel, as well as the Organization of American States, recognized him. Maduro, in turn, blasted the move as a coup staged by Washington and said he was severing diplomatic ties with the US.
Meanwhile, Spain, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands said that they would recognize Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president unless Maduro called elections by February 3.
In contrast, Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Turkey voiced support for Maduro, while China called for resolving all differences peacefully and warned against foreign interference. The United Nations secretary general, in turn, called for dialogue to resolve the crisis.