In a meeting with representatives of the Chavisa regime, the Venezuelan opposition, the presidents of France, Brazil, Colombia and Argentina, and a representative of the European Union, They called for the organization of transparent elections in Venezuela that “allow the participation of all who wish.”According to a joint statement released on Tuesday by the French government.

During the meeting with Delcy Rodriguez, vice president of the Venezuelan regime, and Gerardo Blade, negotiator for opposition parties, the heads of state raised The possibility of suspending international sanctions imposed on Venezuela If elections are held, they are considered transparent and inclusive, with international supervision.

According to the statement, they issued “a call for political negotiations leading to organization fair, transparent and inclusive elections for all, Which allows the participation of everyone who wishes, in accordance with the law and international treaties in force, under international supervision.

“This process must be accompanied by a suspension of all kinds of sanctions, with the aim of suspending them completely,” the statement added.

The meeting was attended, in addition to Venezuelan politicians, the presidents of France –Emmanuel Macron-, Brazil –Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva-, Colombia –Gustavo Petro-, Argentina –Alberto Fernandez– The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs –Josep Borrell-.

The meeting took place in Brussels, Belgium, On the sidelines of the summit between the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union. The meeting took place the day before and lasted an hour and a half, according to the Brazilian government.

The Heads of State and the High Representative urged the Venezuelan government and the Venezuelan Opposition Unified Program to Resumption of dialogue and negotiations within the framework of the Mexico process, The statement explained, with the aim of reaching agreement, among other points on the agenda, on the terms of the upcoming elections.

In November 2022, a “social agreement” was signed in Mexico City between the Venezuelan regime and political opponents.

However, negotiations between the opposition and the regime have stalled since November. Nicolás Maduro recently disqualified the opposition’s preferred candidate, Maria Corina Machadoto run for public office and to refuse the participation of EU observers in the presidential election, raising further doubts about the possibility of a free and fair vote.

On his return to the presidency of Brazil, Lola da Silva It resumed diplomatic relations with Venezuela, which were interrupted during the Jair Bolsonaro government. Other countries, such as Chile and Colombia, have also resumed talks with Venezuela following changes in government.

However, Lula stirred up some controversy by defending Nicolás Maduro – who made his first official visit to Brazil since 2015 in May this year – and the elections held in the country, which were criticized by other countries. Fifteen days ago, the Brazilian president announced in a radio interview Gotcha That “the concept of democracy is relative,” when asked about the Brazilian left’s support for Maduro, which caused an uproar both internally and externally.

(With information from Reuters and Bloomberg)

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