Foreign Meddling in Venezuela Crisis May Result in Civil War - Turkish FM

ANKARA (Sputnik) - Foreign meddling in Venezuela's political crisis is "not healthy" and can even result in a civil war, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday.

"We are telling since the beginning. Such foreign interventions are not healthy and not right. They will not offer a solution. They will deepen the problem. God forbid, the country [Venezuela] even can be dragged into a civil war", Cavusoglu told reporters, as quoted by the Hurriyet Daily newspaper.

The minister stressed that countries should prioritise dialogue between the parties to the conflict instead of taking someone's side.

READ MORE: US Spy Plane Spotted Over Colombia Amid Washington-Backed Coup in Venezuela

Earlier this week, Cavusoglu has already voiced readiness to mediate the conflict between the Venezuelan opposition and the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

On Thursday, the European Parliament passed a resolution recognising Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's legitimate interim president, calling on EU member states to follow suit. A total of 439 parliamentarians supported the resolution, with 104 voting against and 88 abstaining.

Venezuela is currently going through a political crisis, with Guaido, the head of the opposition-controlled Venezuelan National Assembly, having declared himself the country's interim president on January 23. Maduro has accused Washington of orchestrating a coup in Venezuela since the United States and several allies immediately recognised Guaido.

Turkey, along with Russia, China, and other states, has voiced support for Maduro as the only legitimate president of Venezuela.