SAN ANTONIO DEL TACHIRA, Venezuela, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Diosdado Cabello, president of Venezuela's National Constituent Assembly, said Friday that the state of Tachira bordering Colombia, where a concert for peace is being held, is in "absolute calm."
"There is absolute calm on the Venezuelan side," Cabello said while visiting the border.
Cabello said that he had visited several towns in the area with government authorities. "Here, there is peace," said the official.
"Our concert for peace, for non-interference, for respect for the sovereignty of the people is just beginning," he said.
The concert, called "Hands Off Venezuela," will last till Sunday and will feature around 150 national and international artists. Its stated purpose is a national rejection of foreign intervention in Venezuela.
The event is a response to the "Venezuela Live Aid" concert being held about 300 meters away on the Colombian side of the border. The Colombian concert is aimed at promoting admittance of humanitarian aid, a great amount of which is currently sitting on Venezuela's borders with Brazil and Colombia.
Venezuela has been suffering a political crisis that began on Jan. 23 when opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president, calling President Nicolas Maduro's mandate illegitimate and demanding new elections.
