The European Union will create a contact group on Venezuela, which will contribute to the holding of new democratic elections in the country. This was stated by the head of European diplomacy Federica Mogherini on Thursday, January 31, at a meeting of EU foreign Ministers in Bucharest.

On the EU side, the contact group will include Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Sweden and the Netherlands, as well as several Latin American countries: Ecuador, Costa Rica, Uruguay and Bolivia. It is expected that the first meeting of the group will be held next week in one of the Latin American countries.

The European Parliament recognized Juan Guaido the interim President

“We need channels through which political processes can grow. It is clear that Venezuela has a democratic movement,” Mogherini said. Earlier in the day, the European Parliament announced the recognition of the head of the National Assembly Juan Guiado the interim President of Venezuela.

Earlier, the German foreign Ministry said that recognize the country’s Parliament as the only legitimate institution. Since mid-January, mass protests against the re-election of Nicolas Maduro for a second term have continued in Venezuela.