The statement urged verification of the electoral results.

The committee chairs wrote: "We strongly condemn the ongoing attempts in Venezuela to undermine the will of the voters and repress the Venezuelan people following Sunday's election."

Estonia's foreign affairs committee chair, Marko Mihkelson (Reform), has joined his counterparts from 14 other European countries and from the U.S., in making the statement.

The statement stressed that ending the violent repression of Venezuelans and the persecution of opposition leaders Maria Corina Machado, Edmundo González, and their teams was an urgent imperative, as was the urgent need for negotiations between the Maduro regime and Edmundo González to ensure a peaceful and democratic transition of power.

"Our governments are closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela, and will work together to hold Maduro accountable should he continue to disregard the democratic will of Venezuelan voters to steal yet another election," the statement read.

The statement referred to the available evidence and statements from independent electoral observers to declare in their statement that they did not recognize the National Electoral Council's fraudulent declaration that Nicolás Maduro had won the re-election.

The statement added: "We call on the Maduro regime to allow for transparent, independent verification of the electoral results immediately.

"The regime's deliberate efforts to undermine the country's electoral process – by failing to adhere to international standards of electoral integrity, restricting the freedoms of opposition political actors and the media, and harassing and intimidating those connected to the opposition's campaign, as documented by the Carter Center's electoral observation mission – are unacceptable and must be condemned," the statement read.

The democratic opposition had released an estimated 80 percent of the paper vote tallies from across the nation, revealing a resounding electoral victory for Edmundo González, the statement noted.

"This data is a representation of the voices of the Venezuelan people – voices that cannot be silenced by fraud or intimidation. The National Electoral Council's refusal to provide transparent documentation only deepens the crisis of legitimacy surrounding the Maduro regime. It is critical that these voices, so clearly and courageously articulated through the ballot box, are honored, and that the democratic process in Venezuela is fully restored."

In addition to Estonia's, the statement was signed by the chairs of foreign affairs committees of: Armenia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Ukraine and the U.S.

The BBC reports tensions in Venezuela are running high, after a government-controlled electoral authority declared Nicolás Maduro winner of the presidential election, giving him a third consecutive term in office.

The election been described as "undemocratic" by both independent observers and the opposition, and a number of Latin American nations, in addition to the U.S. and EU nations mentioned above, have refused to recognize the result.

The opposition says detailed data from polling stations prove that Edmundo González won the election, and by a wide margin.

Anti-government protests have since flared up, leading to hundreds of people being arrested by Venezuela's security forces, which remain loyal to President Maduro.

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