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VENEZUELA'S POLITICAL CRISIS

Venezuela overcomes stage of balancing on the brink of a coup — senior Russian diplomat

Venezuela has been going through an acute social-economic crisis over the past few years, accompanied by hyperinflation and currency devaluation

© AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos

MOSCOW, September 30. /TASS/. Political situation in Venezuela has stabilized and there is no more threat of a coup d’etat in the country now, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in an interview with the International Affairs magazine.

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Putin: Russia supports Venezuelan president’s dialogue with opposition forces

"We share view with our Venezuelan colleagues that this difficult situation cannot be neglected. But now there is no more balancing on the brink of a coup d’etat — as you know, there have been several absolutely illegal attempts of toppling the government in Caracas," Ryabkov said.

The high-ranking official admitted that there were some economic hurdles and a number of areas where stabilizing measures were vital. These were discussed at the talks between the Russian and Venezuelan presidents, Vladimir Putin and Nicolas Maduro, in the Kremlin on September 25, Ryabkov recalled.

Ryabkov has described Maduro’s visit as "very positive." He noted that the Venezuelan government was aware of Russia’s strong support for common sense and those efforts taken by President Maduro and his government in various directions, including dialogue with sober-minded opposition. According to him, at the talks the sides discussed both military and technical cooperation and all aspects of joint bilateral efforts. "This was a very profound conversation devoted to Russian-Venezuelan strategic partnership," he explained.

Russia has been working on normalizing the whole situation in Venezuela, Ryabkov stressed. In particular, Moscow is providing assistance by sending foodstuffs and medicines.

"We have established dialogue with Venezuelan colleagues in various directions and we continue fulfilling projects, which are not directly linked to the domestic situation in the country. This is a mutually advantageous work," the high-ranking diplomat said.

Venezuela has been going through an acute social-economic crisis over the past few years, accompanied by hyperinflation and currency devaluation. This year the situation has been further complicated by the escalation of the confrontation between the government and the opposition. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts that inflation in Venezuela could reach 10 million percent by the end of the year. The UN estimates that around 4 million people have already left the country.

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Political crisis in Venezuela

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