Maduro says he is ready to start talks with Venezuela opposition, brokered by Norway

Caracas: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is willing to sit down to dialogue with opposition leader Juan Guaido with the involvement of the Norwegian government and other mediators, he said on Wednesday night in a live broadcast on state television.

Earlier Wednesday, opposition spokesmen said that Norway had been facilitating contact between the two sides as a precursor to mediating potential talks to resolve the country's ongoing humanitarian and economic crisis. Freddy Guevara, a member of Guaido's team, said that "this is a process that has already started," adding that there would be "many meetings" in search of an agreement to ease Venezuela's crisis after a seven-year recession and four years of hyperinflation. Basic public services continue to crumble and Venezuelans continue to emigrate, following in the footsteps of over 5 million who have already left the country.