Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Congratulates Biden on Election Victory

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro congratulated Vice President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, adding that he is looking forward to resuming “decent” communications with the United States.

“I congratulate the American people on the presidential election. I also congratulate President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on their victory,” Maduro wrote on Twitter on Saturday. “Venezuela, the Homeland of the Liberator Simon Bolivar will always be ready for dialogue and understanding with the people and government of the United States,” Maduro said.

On Sunday, Maduro addressed the nation on television, where he said that he would work to resume “decent, sincere” political dialogue with the United States.

“In time,… we will work, hopefully, to resume decent, sincere, direct channels of dialogue between the future government of Joe Biden”, Maduro declared.

Relations between Venezuela and the U.S. took a sour turn in January 2019, after President Donald Trump’s administration acknowledged right-wing opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s president.

“Today, I am officially recognizing the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaido, as the Interim President of Venezuela,” Trump wrote in an official White House release.

“In its role as the only legitimate branch of government duly elected by the Venezuelan people, the National Assembly invoked the country’s constitution to declare Nicolas Maduro illegitimate, and the office of the presidency therefore vacant. The people of Venezuela have courageously spoken out against Maduro and his regime and demanded freedom and the rule of law.”

Now with Trump on his way out, Madura is hopeful for future liaisons between the two countries.

“Donald Trump left a minefield between the government of the United States and Venezuela … he left a swamp. I know, we know,” Maduro said, adding that he hoped Biden’s administration “interventionism” in Latin America by the U.S.