Chile is against any use of force in Venezuela and supports only peaceful solution to this political crisis, Chilean Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero said on Tuesday
BUENOS AIRES (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th February, 2019) Chile is against any use of force in Venezuela and supports only peaceful solution to this political crisis, Chilean Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero said on Tuesday.On Monday, the Lima Group members said that the transition to "democracy" in Venezuela must be performed by Venezuelans themselves without the use of force and in line with the country's constitution. The Lima Group also decided to request the International Criminal Court to give its assessment of the situation in Venezuela.
"As a member of the Lima Group, Chile reaffirms its commitment and conviction that the only solution to the Venezuelan problem is a peaceful way within the framework of international law ... Peace and dialogue are the principles of our foreign policy," Ampuero said.
According to the minister, at the Lima Group meeting, Chile proposed to incorporate in the final declaration a paragraph that outlines commitment to a political and diplomatic solution to the crisis in Venezuela without any use of force.
Venezuela is currently going through a political crisis. On January 5, lawmaker Juan Guaido was elected as the president of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, which all other government branches have been refusing to recognize since 2016.
On January 23, two days after the Venezuelan Supreme Court annulled his election, Guaido declared himself the country's "interim president." Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was sworn in for his second presidential term on January 10 after winning the May election, which part of the opposition boycotted, qualified Guaido's move as an attempt to stage a coup orchestrated by Washington.
The United States immediately recognized Guaido, after which some 50 other countries followed suit. Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia and a number of other states have, in the meantime, voiced their support for the legitimate government of Maduro. Mexico and Uruguay have refused to recognize Guaido, declaring themselves neutral and promoting crisis settlement via dialogue.
