29.07.19: Outside of War

Talks between the Maduro government and the Venezuelan opposition are set to resume some time this week on the island of Barbados, according to a source “linked to the mediation” effort cited in El Nacional. According to the newspaper, the source said that the date for the start of the talks has not been set, but it will be this week some time.

The source also said that the opposition delegation will be made up by National Assembly deputy Stalin Gonzalez, former Baruta mayor Gerardo Blyde, and former Minister of Transport and Communication Fernando Martinez Mottola. The regime delegation will made made up of Minister of Communication Jorge Rodriguez, Miranda state governor Hector Rodriguez, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Jorge Arreaza.

The opposition and the Maduro regime have been engaging in talks mediated by Norway since May, when the two sides first met in Oslo. That round of talks ended without any concrete agreement, save for apparently the willingness to meet again for a second set of talks which took place in Barbados in early July.

IMF Calls Venezuelan economic Collapse Among Worst in Past 50 Years

Alejandro Werner the director of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Western Hemisphere Department, said today that the economic collapse that Venezuela has experienced since 2014 is among the worst anywhere in the world over the past 50 years.

In the 2010-2015 period, the scale of Venezuela’s economic collapse is surpassed only by Libya and Georgia, Werner said.

According to Werner, Venezuela’s economy has shrunk by nearly 65% since 2013, making it an unprecedented collapse not only in the hemisphere, but also among nations outside of war or natural disaster.

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Questions/Comments? E-mail me: invenezuelablog@gmail.com