Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra stated today that Venezuela’s situation is “very delicate” and that Venezuelans must find their own “common path to overcome the impasse.”
In Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, where she arrived is in order to participate in the 25th Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, Malcorra spoke to a local radio station: "Venezuela is in a very delicate situation; tensions are running high and keep escalating every day, which is a matter of concern to us, first, because of the Venezuelan people and, second, because of the region as a whole.”
At the same time, Argentina’s Foreign Minister remarked that “it is impossible for this situation of total deadlock between the Venezuelan government and opposition to be resolved by anyone but the Venezuelans themselves.”
Malcorra highlighted “the support given by the Vatican, because we believe that the involvement by the Vatican, by Pope Francis, is a sign that the highest moral authority in the world is interested in helping both parties to the conflict.”
"I think that many times there is the impression that third parties can find a magical solution to this problem. I wish that were the case, as it would mean that there is a chance to solve issues in a matter of minutes. But there is no other way than for the Venezuelan people to find their own common path to overcome the impasse”, affirmed the Foreign Minister.
Malcorra will participate tomorrow in the Meeting of Foreign Ministers in Cartagena. She will also participate in the closing of the 11th Ibero-American Business Meeting. In the evening, she will attend the dinner organized by President Santos and on Saturday 29 she will attend the Plenary Session of Heads of State and Government.
With regard to the application of the OAS Democracy Clause to Venezuela, Malcorra affirmed: "It is a very important tool that is available to OAS and other Latin American institutions but it is not in itself an automatic solution; it is a way of conveying a message of concern about the lack of respect for democratic institutions. To use it, there must be unanimity within OAS or any of the organizations in the region. Clearly, this has not been possible, because different views have been expressed with respect to Venezuela’s situation.”
"I understand the anxiety”, she added and went on to explain that “our greatest concern must be for the well-being and safety of Venezuelans, but we must also recognize that it is up to the Venezuelans themselves, and yesterday’s demonstration is a clear means for empowering the opposition in the negotiation. We believe that heeding the call issued by the Vatican to attempt to find a solution is essential. If the Vatican was not there to aid and help in this situation, then who would be?
Malcorra also said that, within Mercosur, “we have been following Venezuela’s situation for some time now. We made a decision with respect to Venezuela’s pro-tempore presidency, which has been halted due to non-compliance with the requirements of Mercosur. And the decision may be made depending on how Venezuela acts with regard to compliance or non-compliance”. After stating that "there will be no Mercosur meeting today”, the Argentine Foreign Minister explained that the regional bloc “is a market, economic forum, not a political forum. Therefore, actions regarding Mercosur are strictly limited to compliance or non-compliance with the common market requirements."
Press Release No. 366/16
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