Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced plans to resume negotiations with the United States government this week, just weeks before a crucial election on July 28. The announcement came during Maduro’s weekly television broadcast, where he described the dialogue as “urgent.”
The talks, set to begin on Wednesday, aim to address the crippling economic sanctions imposed on Venezuela by the US over the past decade. Maduro, who is seeking a third term, hopes these negotiations will lead to the lifting of these sanctions.
“I’ve accepted the proposal of the government of the United States to resume direct dialogues. They will resume next Wednesday. [The president of the National Assembly] Jorge Rodriguez Gomez will be there as chief of the National Dialogue Commission, and Hector Rodriguez Castro [member of the ruling party’s dialogue commission] will represent Venezuela in these dialogues,” Maduro said in a statement.
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“We will debate and seek new agreements so that what was signed in Qatar is fulfilled. I want dialogue, I want understanding, I want a future for our relations, I want change… Of course, under the absolute sovereignty and independence of Venezuela. Venezuela must be respected.”
The upcoming election is shaping up to be the most significant challenge to the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela’s 25-year dominance. With ten candidates on the ballot, including Maduro, the opposition’s main contender is Edmundo González Urrutia, representing the Unitary Platform coalition.
This renewed dialogue follows a period of suspended negotiations between Venezuela and both the US government and the opposition coalition. Previous talks, some of which took place in Qatar, broke down after Maduro’s government allegedly reneged on promises to improve electoral conditions.
The Biden administration had previously granted some sanctions relief to Venezuela’s oil, gas, and mining sectors in response to an agreement between Maduro and the opposition. However, this relief was revoked as the ruling party continued to use its control over government institutions to favor Maduro’s re-election bid.
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