Paris (AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron announced Friday on Twitter that he had received Juan Guaido, President of the Venezuelan National Assembly at the Elysée Palace, recognized as Acting President by fifty countries and who has been trying to oust Nicolas Maduro for a year.
Calling his meeting with Juan Guaido a "constructive exchange", the head of state added to this first tweet a photo of him shaking hands with the opponent of the Venezuelan president.
Mr. Guaido was in Paris after being notably received by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in London and after having participated in the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
"We had the firm support of President Macron," the Venezuelan said on Europe 1 radio on Saturday.
"Today Venezuela looks more like Syria than Cuba," he said in this interview, with "10 million percent inflation, 65% reduction in GDP in 6 years, 3 , $ 5 per person per month, 83% of homes have no running water. "
Juan Guaido claims the organization of a new presidential election in his country, believing that the 2018 election that allowed President Nicolas Maduro to stay in power has been marred by "fraud".
He was re-elected president of the unicameral parliament on January 5, but the Chavista government did not recognize this vote.
"France supports the rapid organization of a free and transparent presidential election" in Venezuela, Emmanuel Macron tweeted again.
France is one of around fifty countries, including the United States, which recognize Juan Guaido as interim president of the South American country.
Responding on Twitter to Mr. Macron, Jorge Arreaza, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nicolas Maduro, challenged the French president on the "repression" of the demonstrations which took place in recent months in France.
"A deaf and arrogant government (...) cannot give lessons in democracy to anyone, and certainly not in Venezuela," Jorge Arreaza wrote in French.
Supported by the United States, part of the international community and the Venezuelan population, Juan Guaido is in Europe to ask for help.
"Alone, we will not succeed," he said Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, saying he was fighting against an "international and criminal conglomerate".
"We need your help," he said, while his offices in Venezuela were searched on Tuesday.
On Wednesday he had been warmly welcomed in Brussels by the leaders of the European Union, who had not, however, announced concrete measures to influence the political process in his country.
© 2020 AFP