President Barack Obama told reporters Wednesday that he supports, “the legitimate efforts to hold a recall referendum consistent with Venezuelan law,” which could oust socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

Obama made the comment in a joint press conference in Ottawa during the North American Leaders Summit, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.

“Together we call on the government and the opposition to engage in meaningful dialogue and we urge the Venezuelan government to respect the law and authority of the National Assembly,” Obama said.

The conservative Venezuelan opposition is pushing for a recall against Maduro and is awaiting for the government to approve the signatures submitted to prompt a vote. Conservative legislators won control of the Venezuelan National Assembly, the equivalent of Congress, in December 2015 elections.

In response to Obama’s remarks, Maduro said Thursday in a statement that his American counterpart has an, “interventionist obsession,” which he deems “unacceptable.”

“It is contradictory and illogical to urge the Venezuelan government to disregard the state of law with the sole end of satisfying the antidemocratic interests of the Venezuelan opposition,” Maduro stated.

Venezuela has been in a state of crisis for several months as its economy collapses and its politics sit at a tense standstill. The oil-rich country is also suffering major food and medicine shortages.

The Organization of American States (OAS), a Washington, D.C.-based international organization that fosters cooperation between Western Hemisphere countries, recently condemned the government’s actions. The Venezuelan government demanded the resignation of OAS boss Luis Almagro in response to the OAS condemnation.

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