Norway’s foreign ministry has confirmed widespread reports earlier this week that it’s involved in efforts to resolve the political and economic crisis in Venezuela.
“Norway announces that it has had preliminary contacts with representatives of the main political actors in Venezuela, as part of an exploratory phase,” read the statement issued Friday morning, on Norway’s own Constitution Day national holiday on the 17th of May.
The aim, according to the statement, is to contribute towards “finding a solution to the situation in the country.” The short statement went on to commend the parties for their efforts.
“We reiterate our willingness to continue supporting the search for a peaceful solution for the county,” concluded the statement, which came after Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido himself had thanked Norway and other countries on Thursday for trying to broker a settlement between his supporters and the embattled government of President Nicolas Maduro.
Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported earlier this week that the representatives for both Maduro and Guaido have already met twice in Norway, latest this week. Norway has a long tradition of offering, as a neutral country, to broker peace negotiations with varying degress of success. Its diplomats have been involved in peace talks in, for example, the Middle East, Sri Lanka, East Timor, Colombia and, most recently, the Philippines.
newsinenglish.no staff
