Colombian President Iván Duque on the Turmoil in Venezuela

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: I know you’ve recognized Juan Guaido, the opposition leader, why did you do that and do you fear that Maduro is going to try to galvanize his people and other nations against what he’s calling a coup?

DUQUE: Well, first of all, let me say, Christiane, what we have seen in Venezuela in the last years is the most brutal dictatorship. They have an elated independent power, they have destroyed any single opportunity of private development and they have also any elated free press. And at the same time, they have bankrupted the people, people are dying of hunger. And we have received in Colombia more or less a million Venezuelan brothers. So, now, what we have seen in the last days is a joint action from the whole atmosphere saying, “No more dictatorship,” and recognizing Juan Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela, legitimizing the National Assembly as the only legitimate democratic body in Venezuela. So, I think this effort that has been shown to the world demonstrates that the whole region is saying no more Maduro and we want the international community to keep on putting pressure so that Venezuela can liberate itself from this brutal dictatorship.

AMANPOUR: So, how do you read the internal situation now in Venezuela, in Caracas? President Maduro, he’s now being called former president by the United States but he claims still to be president and — I mean, it said the military is standing by him. Can you, from your experience and your knowledge and your intelligence, tell us what you think — how you think that will play out?

DUQUE: Well, the first thing that I should say, I think this is the first time in recent Latin American history that we have seen such a big diplomatic effort from all the countries to support an interim president and to put pressure on a dictatorship to come to an end. And I see also a big popular support in Venezuela. People who came out to the streets yesterday, giving a strong support to the National Assembly and giving a strong support to Juan Guaido. I think this international effort and what is happening inside with all population supporting the National Assembly gives a strong message to the military on not to intervene and let the people’s will apply in this case, because the whole world is saying no more to this brutal repression that we have seen. And the whole world is saying that there needs to be a transition and that the Venezuelan people need to recover the liberties. So, I think this effort that we have seen in the region of all the countries working jointly to this transition in the sake of democracy, I have never seen it before. I think this is funny event that should be applauded and I think the whole international community needs to respond to this action and need to join they recognition of Juan Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela.