- Likewise, the Chilean mission in Caracas, led by Ambassador Jaime Gazmurri, will embark for Santiago
The Chilean government confirmed on Tuesday, July 30, that the Venezuelan diplomatic corps will leave Chile in the “next few hours,” after Venezuela ordered the “immediate” withdrawal of its missions in Chilean territory and in six other countries in the region that have not recognized the National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaiming Nicolás Maduro as re-elected president, after the presidential elections this Sunday, July 28.
Chilean Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Gloria de la Fuente announced at a press conference the imminent departure of Venezuela’s ambassador to Chile, Arévalo Méndez. She indicated that the Chilean mission in Caracas, led by Ambassador Jaime Gazmurri, will embark for Santiago “before Friday.”
In addition to Chile, Venezuela ordered the withdrawal of its ambassadors from Argentina, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay and expelled its diplomatic missions from its territory.
The Venezuelan Embassy in Chile reported on its social media that as of Monday it “indefinitely suspends all procedures, so passport appointments, AFP appointments, passport withdrawal appointments, visa appointments and travel document appointments will not be processed.”
Venezuelans protested at the embassy
Dozens of Venezuelan citizens arrived early in the morning at the diplomatic building, located in the Providencia neighborhood of the capital, to obtain information about their procedures.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric said this morning that the expulsion of Chilean diplomatic personnel from Venezuela “demonstrates an intolerance unbecoming of democracies,” but ruled out a complete break in relations between the two countries.
Chile will never be a country inclined to break relations with anyone. The only times in democratic history that Chile broke diplomatic relations was in 1943 with Nazi Germany and with Japan,” Boric said before beginning his return to Chile from the United Arab Emirates, where he made a two-day official visit.
Boric was one of the first international leaders to demand transparency in the vote count and to question the results given on Sunday night by the Venezuelan National Electoral Council (CNE), which declared Nicolás Maduro the winner, with 51.2% of the votes and 80% of the minutes counted.
His main opponent, former diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia, obtained 44.2% of the votes, according to the first and only public report of the CNE, which did not specify which candidates received the 2,394,268 votes that were not reported.
The opposition denounced irregularities in the counting and demanded the publication of all the results, as did most countries in the region, the UN and the Carter Center, which acted as international observer.
“We have the duty to demand respect for the will expressed by the people of Venezuela and we hope that the minutes will be published soon and we will continue along the same lines with the rest of the countries in the region,” Boric insisted from the United Arab Emirates.
With information from EFE
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2024-07-31 16:34:52
