President Maduro urges opposition leader Guaido not to cause more harm to Venezuela

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 4, ARMENPRESS. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called on opposition leader Juan Guaido not to cause more harm to the country and refuse from the current strategy, the President made this statement in an interview with the Spanish television channel la Sexta, TASS reports.

Maduro announced that he supports dialogue with the opposition. He urged Guaido “to think well about what he is doing”.

“Let him not do more harm to the country, let him give up the coup strategy. If he wants to contribute something, let him sit at the table [for conversation] face to face”, Maduro said.

Commenting on the requirement of a number of EU countries to announce the presidential elections, the head of state recalled that the expression of will is scheduled for 2024.

“I think Venezuela needs parliamentary elections”, he added. “Let Europe deal with its own problems. Why should the EU dictate political norms to the country?” Maduro said. “We are the victims of the campaign in which the US turned us into the number one enemy”, the president stressed.

“I like saying: if you want peace, get ready to protect it. We are getting ready. Only if the American army attacks us, we will have to defend ourselves”, the president said.

“The worst alternative is war, and we will not start it”, he added.

On January 23, the leader of Venezuela’s opposition Juan Guaido, whose appointment as parliamentary speaker had been annulled by the Supreme Court two days before that, declared himself as acting president. On the same day, the United States recognized him as acting head of state.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan