Despite the economic sanctions imposed on his country, the President of Venezuela is ready to normalize relations with Washington

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said he was "ready to work for the normalization of relations with the United States" despite continuing economic sanctions against his country.

In an interview with state television broadcast on Sunday night, Maduro said Venezuela is fully prepared to take steps towards normalizing diplomatic and political relations with the current administration of the United States and with future administrations.

He added, "We are ready for dialogue at the highest level for the sake of respectful relations, and I hope that (the Americans) will turn the page and leave their extremist policies aside, and reach more pragmatic policies that respect Venezuela."

Maduro's comments come after the Venezuelan opposition voted last Friday to "dissolve the provisional government" led by Juan Guaido, who was recognized by many countries - including the United States - as the country's interim president after the disputed 2018 elections.

Venezuela has been experiencing tension since January 23, 2019, after opposition leader Juan Guaido declared his "entitlement" to assume the presidency temporarily until new elections are held.

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Soon, former US President Donald Trump recognized Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela, followed by Canada and countries from Latin America and Europe.

On the other hand, countries - including Russia, Turkey, Mexico and Bolivia - supported the legitimacy of the country's current president, Nicolas Maduro, who on January 10, 2019 was sworn in as president for a new 6-year term.

The Maduro government severed its relationship with the United States in 2019, the year the Trump administration recognized his opponent, Juan Guaido, as interim president of Venezuela.

In an effort to remove Maduro, Washington imposed a series of sanctions on Caracas, including an embargo targeting Venezuelan oil.

The current President, Joe Biden, does not recognize Maduro as President of Venezuela, considering that his election in 2018 is the result of fraud, but the oil crisis resulting from the war in Ukraine has warmed relations between the two parties.

The White House sent envoys to Caracas in 2022 to negotiate and ease sanctions against Venezuela, after a breakthrough in negotiations between the government and the opposition.

Washington has allowed the oil giant "Chevron" to operate in Venezuela for the next six months.