- Title: Putin backs Venezuela talks rejected by opposition leader
- Date: 25th September 2019
- Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (SEPTEMBER 25, 2019) (RUSSIAN POOL) RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN SHAKING HANDS WITH VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT NICOLAS MADURO PRESIDENTS SHAKING HANDS WITH DELEGATIONS FLOWERS ON TABLE PUTIN, MADURO, DELEGATION SEATED AT TALKS (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, VLADIMIR PUTIN, SAYING: "You know that Russia consistently supports all legitimate authorities (of Venezuela), including the presidential and parliament institutions. (PAUSES FOR TRANSLATION) And, of course, we support the dialogue that you, Mr. President, and your government are conducting with the opposition forces." VENEZUELAN DELEGATION (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, VLADIMIR PUTIN, SAYING: "We consider any refusal to hold dialogue irrational and harmful for the country and a threat to the welfare of the population." PUTIN AND MADURO AT TALKS (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, VLADIMIR PUTIN, SAYING: "Our major projects are also being implemented, primarily in the energy sector. (PAUSES FOR TRANSLATION) Russia, in general, has invested about four billion dollars into Venezuelan economy." PUTIN, MADURO, DELEGATIONS AT TALKS (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, VLADIMIR PUTIN, SAYING: "I would also like to mention our cooperation in the military-technical sphere. (PAUSES FOR TRANSLATION) First of all this concerns Russia's obligations on maintaining the Russian-built equipment purchased by Venezuela earlier." TALKS IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT, NICOLAS MADURO, SAYING: "(We are talking about) a number of areas: food, healthcare, energy, and many other areas, other opportunities that are opening. (PAUSES FOR TRANSLATION) Therefore, today's meeting is very important. We can sum up what has been done this year (PAUSES FOR TRANSLATION) in order to see what problems we still have, what realities we are facing, how progress is being made in a number of areas, and make plans for the future." PUTIN AND MADURO AT TALKS MEDIA
- Embargoed: 9th October 2019 11:26
- Keywords: Nicolas Maduro Vladimir Putin Russia Venezuela oil political crisis in Venezuela crisis Venezuela Venezuelan opposition
- Location: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
- City: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
- Country: Russia
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001AY5OV2F
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Russian President Vladimir Putin backed negotiations between Venezuela's government and opposition groups that have been rejected by the leader of the main opposition to President Nicolas Maduro.
Last week, a group of Venezuelan opposition parties agreed to enter a dialogue with Maduro's government. But larger groups, led by opposition leader Juan Guaido, rejected the move.
Meeting Maduro in Moscow, Putin said Moscow considered any refusal to hold dialogue to be "irrational and harmful for the country and a threat to the welfare of the population."
"Of course we support the dialogue that you, Mr. President and your government, are conducting with opposition forces," Putin told Maduro.
Moscow has been one of Maduro's biggest backers amid what it has described as U.S. efforts to undermine him, and has provided loans and help for Venezuela's military and oil industry.
Putin announced plans for Moscow to deliver 1.5 million flu vaccines in the near future to Venezuela and said Russia was meeting its obligations to service military hardware it had sold to Venezuela.
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