Resolving Venezuela Crisis Requires Internal Talks, Aid For Refugee Hosting States - UN

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th June, 2019) A resolution of the political crisis in Venezuela requires serious internal political negotiations and the assistance to countries that host migrants and refugees from that country, United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

"We think at the heart that there needs to be a political solution and that serious political discussions need to be held for the internal process, and that, obviously, whatever the international community can do to support those Venezuelans who have fled, with refugees or migrants, and support the countries which are hosting them is critical," Dujarric told reporters.

Venezuela has suffered from political crisis since late January, when the country's US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido proclaimed himself to be interim president in a bid to oust incumbent President Nicolas Maduro.

The political crisis has been compounded by the concurrent economic crisis as the United States imposed several rounds of sanctions against Venezuela.

Last week, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that some four million Venezuelans have left the country.

The vast majority of Venezuelan refugees are hosted by Latin American countries, with Columbia accounting for 1.3 million, followed by Peru (768,000) and Chile (288,000), according to the UNHCR.