MIAMI, United States. – Brazil on Thursday assumed Argentina’s diplomatic representation in Caracas and provided protection to six Venezuelan opposition members who had taken refuge in the Argentine embassy for the past four months.
The gesture, which was made official with the raising of the Brazilian flag at the residence of the Argentine ambassador in Caracas, was publicly thanked by the Argentine president, Javier Milei, and the Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
“I greatly appreciate Brazil’s willingness to take over the custody of the Argentine Embassy in Venezuela. We also appreciate the temporary representation of the interests of the Argentine Republic and its citizens there,” Milei wrote on social network X.
The president also reported that on August 1, Argentine diplomatic personnel had to leave Venezuela “in retaliation by dictator Maduro” for his nation’s condemnation of the electoral fraud of July 28.
“I have no doubt that we will soon reopen our Embassy in a free and democratic Venezuela,” Milei said. “The ties of friendship that unite Argentina with Brazil are very strong and historic,” she added.
For her part, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado thanked to the Government of Brazil “for its willingness to assume the diplomatic and consular representation of the Republic of Argentina in Venezuela, and the protection of its headquarters and residence, as well as the physical integrity of our colleagues who have taken refuge in said residence.”
“This could contribute to advancing a constructive and effective negotiation process such as the one Brazil has supported,” Machado added.
Authorities under Nicolás Maduro’s regime have expelled all Argentine diplomats and those of six other Latin American countries for expressing suspicions of electoral fraud.
Brazil not only assumed the diplomatic representation of Argentina but also that of Peru, a collaboration that was rated as “unexpected” by the Spanish newspaper The countryespecially with regard to the leftist Brazilian president and the Argentine president.
Four days after the elections, the Chavistas have still not presented the minutes that would verify the proclaimed reelection of Nicolás Maduro. The lack of electoral transparency has generated demands for verification by the United States, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and other countries, including some with close relations with the Chavistas.
