The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela rejected on Friday the terms contained in the ministerial declaration of the self-appointed International Contact Group of the European Union (EU), which among other decisions insists that the situation affecting the country can only have a solution “Through the holding of free, transparent and credible presidential elections.” The group is led by Federica Mogherini, high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security and Ecuador’s chancellor, José Valencia, who share the presidency of the Group.
After having met this Thursday in the city of Quito, Ecuador, “the International Contact Group took the reckless decision to interfere in matters pertaining to the operation of the Venezuelan State, going so far as to try to judge the operation of the Venezuelan institutions in the exercise of its powers and under the protection of its legal powers,” reads part of the official statement, released by the Ministry of Popular Power for Foreign Affairs.
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Given the above, the Government presided over by Nicolás Maduro Moros maintains its irreducible commitment to dialogue, as the only way to find necessary agreements to guarantee peace, stability and development of the Nation and of the entire Latin American and Caribbean region.
Next, the complete text:
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela rejects the terms contained in the ministerial declaration of the self-appointed International Contact Group, which after having met yesterday in the city of Quito, Ecuador, has taken the reckless decision to interfere in matters pertaining to the functioning of the State Venezuelan, reaching the extreme of trying to measure the operation of Venezuelan institutions in the exercise of their powers and under the protection of their legal powers.
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The Bolivarian Government demands that the members of the International Contact Group respect the institutions and the legal system of the Venezuelan State, while exhorting them not to overstep their duties, thus preserving their ability to provide an eventual contribution to a true understanding among national political actors, avoiding the unacceptable biases demonstrated in their recent declaration that seek to provoke conflicts rather than understandings between the parties in Venezuela.
So far, the delegations sent to Venezuela by the International Contact Group have been received by high authorities of the Venezuelan State and they have been treated cordially and respectfully, in view of their presumed willingness to facilitate dialogue between the parties. An attitude that differs from the biased and offensive treatment given to legitimate Venezuelan institutions in the terms of their most recent statement.
The Government of the Constitutional President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro Moros, maintains its irreducible commitment to dialogue as the only way to find necessary agreements to guarantee peace, stability and development of our Nation and of the entire Latin American region and Caribbean
Caracas, March 29, 2019
Translated by JRE/EF
