FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo looks on after speaking to students at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, January 10, 2019. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS

ABU DHABI (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described Venezuela’s government under President Nicolas Maduro as illegitimate on Saturday and said the United States would work with like-minded countries in Latin America to restore democracy there.

“The Maduro regime is illegitimate and the United States will work diligently to restore a real democracy to that country,” Pompeo told reporters in Abu Dhabi, where he is on a tour of Middle East countries.

“We are very hopeful we can be a force for good to allow the region to come together to deliver that.”