The Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro urged opposition leader Juan Guiado not to do more harm to the country and to abandon his current strategy. The corresponding statement was made by the head of state in an interview shown on Sunday evening to the Spanish TV channel La Sexta.

Maduro assured that he supports dialogue with the opposition. The President appealed to Guaido, urging him to “think well what he was doing.” “Let it not cause more harm to the country, let it abandon the putsch strategy, – said the head of state. “If he [Guaido] wants to bring something, let him sit at the table to talk face to face.”

“In Venezuela, there is only one President in the execution, who has the authority and economic, institutional and other fullness of power,” said Maduro. Commenting on the demand of a number of EU countries to announce the presidential elections, the head of state recalled that it is schedule for 2024. “I think Venezuela needs parliamentary elections,” he added. “Let Europe deal with its problems,” Maduro said. – Why should the EU dictate political norms to the country?»

“We are victims of the campaign in which the US turned us into the number one enemy,” the President stressed. “We believe in diplomacy, in understanding; I made a thousand proposals to US,” he said, calling on the head of the White House, Donald Trump, not to make mistakes against Venezuela.

“I like to say: if you want peace, be ready to defend it. We are preparing”,- Maduro explained. “Only if the US army attacks us, we will have to defend ourselves. We won’t hand over Venezuela, — the President noted. “The worst alternative is war, and we will not start it.”

Maduro was asked what he would say if he was in front of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “What I always say to him: thank you for friendship, for support,”- the head of state stressed.