Caracas engaged in full-fledged dialogue with Washington: Venezuelan FM

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza on Monday said that Caracas was engaged in a full-fledged dialogue with the United States.

"This is reality... we are actually conducting a dialogue... our teams will soon hold a meeting. We will continue to maintain contacts," Arreaza said.

On Wednesday, the speaker of the opposition-led Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaido, declared himself interim head of the state amid the ongoing anti-government protests in the South American nation.

The US and a number of other countries, which disputed last year's re-election of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, have recognised the opposition leader. Maduro slammed Guaido as a US "puppet" and accused Washington of organizing a coup in Venezuela.