Chile, Argentina, Uruguay call for effective dialogue in Venezuela

The governments of Chile, Argentina and Uruguay on Friday urged Venezuela's ruling party and right-wing opposition groups to hold talks and end their country's political crisis.

In a joint statement issued in the Chilean capital of Santiago, the Foreign Ministries of the three countries expressed concern for the current political situation in Venezuela and called on the different political camps to reach an understanding.

"With full respect for the principle of nonintervention in internal affairs, we believe that Venezuela's problems should be resolved by the Venezuelans themselves, in keeping with its institutions and observing international commitments to fully protect human rights and individual freedoms," said the statement.

"We are confident that the Venezuelan people will know how to honor their long democratic tradition and historic commitment to consensus and peaceful political solutions, thus discouraging radical alternatives that will lead away from democratic ways," it added.

The message was addressed to Venezuela's government, National Assembly as well as political and social groups.

Venezuela has been embroiled in political troubles in recent months with some opposition groups campaigning to unseat President Nicolas Maduro.

The president said Tuesday that a "systematic aggression" against his country from the outside was underway with the aim of "creating conditions" for a military intervention. Endi