Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado said on Monday she was “aligned” with U.S. goals in Venezuela following Washington’s armed overthrow of Nicolás Maduro on January 3.
“What the US government did on January 3rd was absolutely necessary to advance the democratic transition and save lives… It is also absolutely necessary to bring Nicolas Maduro to justice in order to be able to prevent the destruction of a country,” she told reporters, including AFP, in Oslo.
“There may be different perspectives on how to move forward and what each of us can add to the process, but you can rest assured that our goals are aligned,” she said.
Venezuela is now ruled by interim President Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s vice president, and the crude-rich country’s oil sales are effectively controlled by the United States.
Machado has repeatedly expressed confidence in U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans for Venezuela and defended handing the Nobel Peace Prize to the U.S. leader who has long coveted the honor.
While Trump praised Machado after her symbolic move, he stopped short of endorsing her or Venezuela’s opposition for taking power and expressed doubts about her ability to lead the South American country.
Machado, who is considered a fugitive by Rodriguez’s government, said she planned to return to Venezuela but did not specify a date.
She told reporters in Oslo that “if you ask some people in Venezuela, they will say it is much better” than it was four months ago after the U.S. military action against Maduro.
“Not from an economic perspective, but from a political perspective, the right to have a voice, people are less and less afraid every day,” she said.
“We are not there yet, of course not yet. But we are moving in the right direction. That is why I believe it is important for me and it is my responsibility to return to Venezuela as soon as possible.”
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This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.
