Colombian Foreign Minister rejects acts of violence and repression in Venezuela

On Tuesday, Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo offered statements regarding the current situation in Venezuela.

At a press conference, Murillo rejected the acts of violence and repression against the protests that have taken place in the country, after hundreds of people took to the streets to express their discontent with the results announced last Sunday, July 28, by the National Electoral Council (CNE), which granted Nicolás Maduro a third term in office.

“We have called for great caution, great prudence, to avoid outbreaks of violence. And we have said that, obviously, concerns must be expressed and any act that leads to an increase in violence, or that generates repression that results in the restriction of political expression by any sector, must be rejected.“, he stressed.

Likewise, the Colombian foreign minister assured that the Colombian government has maintained dialogue with the administration of Nicolás Maduro, as well as with some sectors and political figures in the country.

“In any scenario People’s rights, their political, economic, environmental and social rights must be respected.“, he stressed.

He also indicated that joint efforts between the governments of Mexico, Brazil and Colombia are continuing to achieve a negotiated solution to the Venezuelan crisis.

“We hope that between this week and the next they will be able, if they so decide, to communicate the progress they have made.. His main concern is to support the Venezuelan people in finding solutions that guarantee peace and political coexistence, because obviously what happens in Venezuela has very direct implications for the case of Colombia and Brazil,” he added.