WEEKEND talks in the Dominican Republic between Venezuelan government and opposition forces made "significant progress,” according to Dominican President Danilo Medina.

He said the two-day dialogue had been marked by an atmosphere of mutual respect and would resume at the end of next week.

“The government and the opposition declare that there has been significant progress in the search for an agreement that peacefully resolves the situation in Venezuela. It’s better to go slowly so that things go well,” added Mr Madina.

“The first big news is that we sat down and discussed topics of the highest interest for the Venezuelan homeland,” said government delegation head Jorge Rodriguez.

“The second great news is that we have worked in depth on the six points. We are very close to an agreement, so much so that on December 15 we will sit down again.”

Opposition representative Julio Borges stressed the discussions’ significance, calling for “more rights for Venezuelans to overcome this crisis."