DOHA, December 2. /TASS/. Even as Qatar is monitoring relations between the United States and Venezuela and is willing to act as a mediator to resolve the crisis, Doha has not received any corresponding requests yet, said Majed bin Mohammed al-Ansari, an advisor to the Qatari prime minister and the spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"We are closely monitoring tensions in that part of the world and we are concerned about assessments of what’s happening. We are still ready and have the resolve to support any political dialogue between the sides, if necessary," the senior Qatari diplomat said at a news briefing. "No such dialogue is taking place right now, but we are always ready to provide any assistance to the international community, our friends in the United States, Venezuela, and other countries," he added.

In December 2023, Washington and Caracas agreed to release 10 American prisoners in Venezuela. The then US President Joe Biden pardoned Alex Saab, a close ally of the Venezuelan leader, in exchange for the release of political prisoners, including 10 US nationals. Minister of State at the Qatari Foreign Ministry Mohammed al-Khulaifi said then that the agreement had been reached following a series of talks with Doha’s mediation.

Since US President Donald Trump came to power, Washington has accused Caracas of failing to make sufficient efforts to combat drug smuggling. In November, the Pentagon announced the deployment of a strike group led by the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford to the Caribbean to fight narco terrorists in the region.