QUITO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th March, 2019) The Bolivian delegation refused for the second time to endorse the ministerial declaration issued on the results of the meeting of the International Contact Group (ICG) on Venezuela, Bolivian Deputy Foreign Minister Maria del Carmen Almendras said.
The group met in Quito on Thursday. The declaration it has issued calls for a peaceful settlement of the Venezuelan crisis through democratic elections and condemns the Venezuelan authorities for banning opposition leader Juan Guaido, who proclaimed himself the country's "interim president," from holding a public office for 15 years.
"Bolivia has not signed the declaration. Bolivia believes that states should resolve their crises on their own. In the case of Venezuela, the crisis should be overcome by Venezuelans themselves ... We have not joined this declaration. We do not share its content," Almendras told reporters after the ICG second meeting in Quito on Thursday.
The diplomat suggested that the declaration shifted from the principle of non-interference in a state's domestic affairs and sought to dictate certain actions to Caracas.
Almendras also emphasized that the Venezuelan crisis had been caused by multiple factors, including international sanctions imposed on the country.
The ICG met for the first time in Montevideo in February. Bolivia then refrained from supporting a joint statement, too, saying that Venezuela should settle its issues on its own.
