Nicolas Maduro, this president who makes Western diplomacy dizzy

Plunged into a political and economic crisis, Venezuela had been the bad student of South America for several years. Today, the oil-rich country is once again accessible and its president, Nicolas Maduro, is once again becoming a possible interlocutor. But for how long ?

Since 2019, the political situation in Venezuela was very confused. With a fraudulent re-election of President Maduro who had aroused opposition, the country, in the midst of an economic crisis, found itself with a second “interim” president, Juan Guaido. Devoid of any real power, the latter was nevertheless supported by the United States and was recognized by several countries including France, after a vain ultimatum to redo the elections.

Law and oil

But now Emmanuel Macron called the president Nicholas Maduro, Wednesday November 29. He encouraged him to implement the agreement of October 17, signed with the opposition and which finally provides for elections in 2024. In this agreement, this Venezuelan “dear President” is also asked to release the people detained for political reasons. In exchange, France will also make a small check to the social fund in favor of civilian populations, managed by the United Nations. Emmanuel Macron recalled that with compliance with this agreement, the European Union could gradually lift the sanctions that were put in place in 2019.

At the time, when the Venezuela found himself with two presidents, the battle was constitutional and Nicolas Maduro had alienated the democracies. This led to sanctions and the paralysis of all relations with his country for several years. This situation continued until the war in Ukraine. At that moment, we remembered that the Venezuela was an oil producer. In these conditions, it was better not to get angry with him for a long time, especially seeing that the price of a barrel was exploding.

Democracies and annexations

However, this return of Venezuela in “respectable nations” might only be short-lived. The reason is quite simple: the country will organize, on Sunday December 3, a sort of referendum with the aim of annexing an entire part of Guyana, a border country which has immense oil reserves. The disputed territory still represents 160,000 km², the equivalent of a third of France. THE Venezuela is therefore considering taking back this entire region by force, which could again create tensions.

President Emmanuel Macron raised the subject during his telephone conversation yesterday with President Maduro. He recalled France’s attachment to peace and security in the region, citing respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. We see it, friend Venezuela nIt’s not easy to manage and seems to make Western diplomats dizzy. Barely reintegrated into frequentable countries, he could quickly become the pariah we knew again.