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"How long are they going to hurt the country?" Enough of all the damage they've done to our country!" Maduro said.
The president of Venezuela gave a speech before a crowd in the center of Caracas from the main platform of Bolivar Avenue as Venezuela marked the 20th anniversary of the start of the Bolivarian Revolution and the swearing-in of late President Hugo Chavez.
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"How long are they going to hurt the country?" Enough of all the damage they've done to our country!" said the Bolivarian leader and invited the opposition to reflect and invited them to abandon the path of interventionism.
"Stop calling the war, stop calling for military intervention, stop supporting a coup that has failed, failed and was not realized, here the revolution is ruling, and we will continue to govern," he added.
The president also called for parliamentary elections in order to restore the legislative power, currently in contempt since 2016.
In matters of military defense of the country, Maduro said: "Let it be known that this Bolivarian movement is a deeply rooted force, with a defined and democratic country project, with a people, with the civic-military union. We are a united and powerful force."
He went on to insist that the only path forward is peace and dialogue with the opposition in order to overcome te current political standoff. "Leave the path of Yankee interventionism, stop calling the war, stop supporting a coup that has already failed. The coup failed and they (United States) do not realize it," he said addressing the right-wing opposition.
"It is time to look for solutions through work, the national union, the productive effort of the whole country. We are not beggars of anyone. Everything we need, we must and can do it in Venezuela."
The United States was quick to recognize Guaido as “interim president” after he proclaimed himself as such on Jan 23, in violation of the country's constitution, and Washington’s right-wing allies in the region followed suit in what the elected Venezuelan government of Maduro calls a parliamentary coup.
Since then, the U.S. has approved fresh sanctions against Caracas including economic sanctions against the country’s national oil company. Several senior U.S. officials called on the country’s military to intervene in support of Guaido. However, the country’s military has asserted its support for the constitutional government and rejected calls for a coup.
Under mounting pressure from the Trump administration, Spain and other major countries in the EU have failed to maintain an independent stance on the Venezuelan situation and have said they would be recognizing Guaido as the interim head of state within days but while calling for elections and asking for a peaceful transition.
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