New round of talks between the Venezuelan government and opposition within "10 days"

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that a new round of talks would be held in Venezuela between the interim government and the opposition within ten days, while also praising the benefits of the oil agreement reached with Caracas.

Rubio stated on Fox News that “the next phase of these transitional talks, which we are facilitating, will take place in approximately ten days.”

The authority represented by Acting President Delcy Rodríguez and the Venezuelan opposition held the first round of dialogue aimed at achieving a political transition in August.

This dialogue, initiated by Washington, began seven months after the U.S. military detained Nicolás Maduro, who had ruled the country for more than a quarter of a century.

Speaking about the political transition, Rubio clarified that it “will not take as long as it did in Eastern Europe, although that region required between four and five years to successfully complete the political transition process.”

He added, “We can achieve this here much more quickly, and we are working on it with all our effort,” but he stressed that “democratic elections are not just about holding a vote.”

Regarding the oil agreement concluded between Caracas and Washington, he noted that it entails “some short-term benefits, but it also ensures that the United States, rather than China, Russia, or Iran, holds a strategic position vis-à-vis the largest oil producer” in the American continent.