Santiago.-The Chilean government has undergone a change of pace and harshly criticized the decision of Nicolás Maduro’s regime to completely expel the diplomatic missions of the member countries of the Lima Group – Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay -, following the international community’s rejection of the questioned re-election of the Chavista leader.
Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren told CNN Chile that the measure “is a regrettable decision, truly unprecedented. I don’t remember a measure of this nature and what it reveals is the isolation that the Venezuelan government currently has. We know the language and it doesn’t surprise us, but the measure does seem absolutely unprecedented to me.”
Van Klaveren also said that “a measure of this nature leaves a very large number of Venezuelan citizens completely defenseless.”
Finally, the foreign minister said that diplomatic relations between the two countries were left “on a very low footing, on an unprecedented footing, only appropriate for dictatorial regimes. There is no doubt about that. A measure of that nature really deserves that qualification,” he concluded.
Late on Monday, President Gabriel Boric issued a press release from the United Arab Emirates, where he is concluding an official visit, in which he supported the words of the Foreign Minister but ruled out, at least for now, breaking relations with the Caribbean country.
In the statement, the president said that the decision to expel the entire diplomatic corps of the member countries of the Lima Group “demonstrates a serious and profound intolerance of difference and legitimate criticism, which are essential elements in a democracy. I believe that it also sadly demonstrates a disdain for the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who currently live in Chile.”
Boric called for the elections to be “transparent and verified by international observers who are not compromised with the government in power. In this case, this is achieved through the full publication of the voting table records.”
“The whole discussion of adjectives is irrelevant when it comes to asserting what Chile defends as a principle of its foreign policy,” he said.
The president said that “this decision certainly keeps us alert… (the Venezuelans in Chile)… should know that we will guarantee them all the help and support and assistance they need, and in the same way, to the Venezuelan people, know that there is an international community attentive to what is happening in your country, putting pressure so that the will that you have expressed at the polls is truly respected.”
Regarding the breaking of relations, the president stated that “Chile is a country of dialogue and will always be a country of dialogue. When we have problems or challenges with another country, the reasonable thing to do from any point of view is to make all efforts together. There are problems that, if there is no involvement of both parties, simply cannot be resolved. Chile will never be a country inclined to break diplomatic relations.”
“Here is the unilateral decision that Venezuela has taken, which has not yet been formally notified, but which has been announced with the diatribes that we have seen, to expel our diplomatic personnel, I want to tell you that it is unjustifiable and as I pointed out before, it demonstrates an intolerance that is inappropriate for democracies and in that sense, I fully support everything that our foreign minister, Alberto Van Klaveren, has said in this regard,” he concluded. Infobae.
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2024-08-05 05:02:58
