The Minister of Interior and Justice of Venezuela, Diosdado Cabello, who also heads the general secretariat of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), has emphasized that "dialoguing does not mean capitulating" and has reiterated that the lifting of international sanctions against the country must be incorporated as a central element in the conversations with the opposition.
"We have said that we talk to whoever it is. Dialoguing does not mean capitulating. The opposition sector will see, we are united in a single block," Cabello stated at a press conference, in which he opined that "that dialogue process that has been called has divided even more" an already fragmented opposition "into pieces."
The words of the Chavista leader come just days before the meetings between representatives of the government and the National Assembly of 2015, considered by the United States as the legitimate government until the hypothetical capture of President Nicolás Maduro in a military operation at the beginning of 2026, begin on August 1.
Cabello has stressed that the government block will come with "a single proposal" related to "the peace" of Venezuela, and has emphasized that "the lifting of sanctions must be part of that dialogue."
"We continue to demand the cessation of all sanctions that exist against the country, all of them, any restriction that prevents the free development of Venezuela as an independent sovereign country. That is a demand we have been making for quite some time," the minister stated.
Regarding this dialogue process scheduled for August, opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González have also spoken out in recent days, making it clear that they will not participate in these conversations. At the same time, they have indicated that they will not become an "obstacle" for "any initiative that produces real advances" for Venezuela, although they have warned that they will evaluate the process based on "concrete and verifiable achievements."