Maduro responds to diplomatic crisis with Panama

April 20th, 2018, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said that "the peoples of Panama and Venezuela would applaud that we give in, understand each other and facilitate economic, commercial life."

The Venezuelan President’s statement, which expressed his willingness to ease diplomatic and commercial tension between the two countries, was well received by Panamanian counterpart Juan Carlos Varela. 

The Venezuelan leader reiterated that "in any conversation and in any negotiation you have to give in, you give in and I give way, I am willing to give up everything that has to be given up in the harsh decisions that I forced myself or forced me to take to defend the interests of Venezuela. "

The diplomatic crisis between Panama and Venezuela began last March when the Panamanian government published a "high risk" list for money laundering. The list included the country’s president. 

Venezuela fought back by suspending financial and commercial relations with a hundred Panamanian companies for three months. 

Both countries have had no respective ambassadors for two weeks.