Spain asked the EU to address the post-election situation in Venezuela at the European Summit

• The community bloc could discuss the political crisis in the country with the aim of participating in a consensual solution

The Secretary of State of the European Union, Fernando Sampedro, said on September 24 that Spain hopes that the leaders of the European Union (EU) will address the political crisis in Venezuela at the European Summit with the intention of making a decision that contributes to the solution of the situation.

The summit will take place on October 17-18 in Brussels and aims to discuss issues of interest to the community bloc.

“We are hoping that this European Council will have conclusions that we are working on to address the situation in Venezuela,” Sampedro said in statements to the press upon his arrival at the General Affairs Council.

Sampedro avoided giving details when asked if Spain expected EU leaders to take any specific decision regarding the situation in Venezuela, arguing that the preparation of the conclusions of the European Summit are “at a very preliminary stage.”

“The leadership position that the rest of our European partners recognise in this situation, having received the Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González, is about raising the discussion to the level of leaders so that the EU can take a position to collaborate and participate in finding a solution,” said the Spanish Secretary of State.

Photo: EFE

EU position on Edmundo Gonzalez

The EU insisted on 23 September that it would not recognise Nicolás Maduro as Venezuela’s president-elect, but neither would it recognise González, according to the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell.

The EU representative said that he held an informal meeting with European foreign ministers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, in which Spain asked to address the situation in Venezuela.

“They know that we cannot recognise the legitimacy of the democratically elected Maduro, and that we regret that Gonzalez had to leave the country and seek political asylum in Spain,” the diplomat said.

The statements reaffirm the EU’s diplomatic stance after the The European Parliament approved a non-binding resolution recognising González as the legitimate winner of the Venezuelan elections.

He added that the EU will continue to “support Venezuela’s right” to democracy, freedom and political activity, and said it has called on the Venezuelan authorities to end repression, arbitrary arrest and harassment of the opposition and civil society.

Photo: EFE

Relations between Venezuela and Spain

In recent days, the relationship between Venezuela and Spain has been affected after that country hosted the Edmundo Gonzalez asylumwho arrived in Madrid on September 8.

Following this measure, the National Assembly (AN), with a pro-government majority, prepared a resolution on September 11 that it hopes to approve later to break diplomatic, consular, economic and commercial relations with Spain.

“Let all representatives of the Spanish government delegation and all consulates and consuls leave here and we will bring our own people from there, let them stay with their murderers, with their violent people,” said Jorge Rodríguez, president of the Parliament.

The head of the AN also requested that the resolution establish that “all commercial activities with Spanish companies be immediately ceased,” after the Spanish Congress urged the Executive of that country to recognize González as the new president-elect of Venezuela.

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