PRIME Minister Mark Carney announced on Sunday that he spoke with Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado.

Carney and Machado condemned the former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro’s “brutally oppressive, criminal, and illegitimate regime, which repressed the Venezuelan people and persecuted dissenters.”

Carney thanked Machado for her resolute voice on behalf of the Venezuelan people. They underscored the importance of seizing this opportunity for freedom, democracy, peace, and prosperity in Venezuela.

“Prime Minister Carney affirmed Canada’s steadfast support for a peaceful, negotiated, and Venezuelan-led transition process that promotes stability and respects the democratic will of the Venezuelan people. He emphasised that such a process must be anchored in the Venezuelan people’s sovereign right to decide and build their own future in a peaceful and democratic society,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Carney agreed to remain in contact with Machado and international partners.