The White House has imposed sanctions on the country to pressure the departure of Nicolas Maduro (File)
Caracas:
The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido have reached a cooperation agreement to raise funds for the fight against the coronavirus, they said on Tuesday.
With the help of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the two sides will coordinate their efforts to seek financial resources to fight the pandemic, according to the agreement read on state television by Minister of Communications Jorge Rodriquez.
Earlier, the Guaido communications team also said that a “technical cooperation plan to deal with the humanitarian coronavirus crisis” had been signed.
Relations between fierce rivals have been very tense, with Guaido being recognized as interim president by dozens of countries, including the United States, after the 2018 elections, he said, rigged.
The agreement, signed on Monday in Caracas, establishes “priority” measures to deal with the pandemic, in particular the detection of active cases of COVID-19, epidemiological surveillance and the rapid treatment of those infected.
The two parties have so far not confirmed an estimate of the plan and specific details.
In a statement, however, the Guaido team said that PAHO would receive approved humanitarian aid funds, ensuring that the agreement allows money for the emergency to go into the hands of international organizations. rather than the Maduro government.
The agreement was signed by Minister of Health Carlos Alvarado, parliamentary delegate Julio Castro and a representative of PAHO.
In addition, Guaido tweeted that his uncle Juan Jose Marquez, detained since February 11, had been transferred to house arrest. He was charged with smuggling explosive material aboard a flight from Portugal, the charges for his defense described as “a vile configuration.”
Washington, meanwhile, welcomed the coronavirus agreement.
“This is an important step, but only the democratic transition will save Venezuela from the catastrophe,” the US embassy closed in Caracas said on Twitter.
The White House imposed financial sanctions on the country to pressure for the departure of Maduro.
Venezuela officially has 1,819 cases of COVID-19 and 18 deaths, but international organizations such as Human Rights Watch estimate that this is an underestimation and that the actual toll is much higher.
The pandemic hit Venezuela when the country was already in shock from a severe economic crisis, hyperinflation and a collapse of public services. Falling crude prices have only exacerbated the situation in the oil-dependent country.
The economic crisis has seen around five million Venezuelans fleeing the country since 2015, according to the United Nations.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
