Colombian Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva affirmed that the conference on Venezuela is part of the “total peace” plan of President Gustavo Petro. He stressed that the Venezuelan parties will not participate in the conference itself, but it is expected that they will follow it very closely and that there may be an invitation for them to follow.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Álvaro Leyva, confirmed on Thursday, April 13, that the international conference announced in recent days by the president of the neighboring country, Gustavo Petro, will take place next Tuesday, April 25, to reactivate the dialogue between the Colombian Venezuelan and the opposition.
Leyva, during an exhibition at the UN Security Council On the situation of the peace agreements, he indicated that the participation of the representatives of some 15 countries is estimated, among them the United States, Canada and several Latin American and European States, in addition to the European Union. However, he did not say anything about a possible presence of President Nicolás Maduro.
“We returned to have diplomatic relations with Venezuela. On the 25th of this month, it will take place in the capital of the republic, Bogotá (…) to see how it can lead to the resumption of the political dialogues that had been taking place in Mexico, naturally with the opposition parties and President Maduro. », he highlighted.
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According to the foreign minister, the conference on Venezuela is part of Petro’s “total peace” plan, an idea that, he stressed, goes beyond the country’s borders.
He detailed, later in a small press conference, that the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, will not be present at the meeting.
In addition, Álvaro Leyva stressed that this international conference represents an “opportunity” to find a democratic solution to the crisis, the last step being the holding of elections.
“The important thing is that the elections can be carried out, with guarantees for all parties. But with real guarantees, not supposed guarantees. Sometimes what makes it difficult is that there are obstacles. We try to remove the obstacles so that they actually agree to talk in Mexico, about the elections that must take place in 2024 and be recognized throughout the world, “he said.
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The Venezuelan parties will not participate in the conference itself, Leyva explained, but it is expected that they will follow it closely and that there may be an invitation for them to follow.
“The important thing is that all the parties interested in the situation in Venezuela agree to this dialogue as soon as possible,” he insisted.
To create the necessary conditions, he pointed out, it will be necessary, among other things, to “set aside some sanctions” that exist against the Maduro Administration and continue with the social dialogue.
The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, announced the Tuesday March 28 a call in his country for “an international conference with the objective of building the road map that allows effective political dialogue between society and the Venezuelan government.”
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