The Foreign Minister of Argentina, Santiago Cafiero, defended this Tuesday the decision of the government of Alberto Fernández to “rebuild” the diplomatic relationship with Venezuela and said that there are human rights violations in that country as in other nations in the region.
“We had a charge d’affaires and now we are going to have an ambassador. (…) What we want is to move forward in rebuilding the diplomatic relationship with that country, “said Cafiero when appearing before the Foreign Relations Commission of the Argentine Senate.
The Argentine embassy in Venezuela has been in the hands of a charge d’affaires since 2015, at which time the government of Mauricio Macri lowered diplomatic relations.
Argentina bets on diplomatic relationship with Venezuela
The Fernández government has proposed Oscar Laborde to assume the post of ambassador to Venezuela.
Cafiero affirmed that it was something «very harmful lose that relationship” with Venezuela during the Macri government, because “Argentina deprived itself of having first-hand information.”
As well as “to have a link with Argentines who are living in Venezuela and with Argentine businessmen who develop businesses there.”
On the other hand, Cafiero defended the position expressed on April 18 by Fernández on the situation in Venezuela and that generated rejection in opposition sectors of both countries and concern on the part of humanitarian organizations.
Problems disappeared over time
In an appearance before the press together with the Ecuadorian president, Guillermo Lasso -visiting Buenos Aires-, Fernández commented that many of Venezuela’s problems “have been dissipating over time”, thanks, in part, to the work of the high United Nations commissioner for Human rightsMichelle Bachelet, and the agreements reached within the framework of the International Contact Group on Venezuela.
“What the president takes is what the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, has said. Bachelet stated that there has been progress with respect to Venezuela,” Cafiero said on Tuesday.
The foreign minister maintained that, although “indeed there is still a long way to go,” in Venezuela “there has been progress from the electoral point of view.”
Human rights violation
In another section of his appearance in the Senate and before a specific question from a parliamentarian regarding the position of Argentina, Cafiero maintained that there are human rights violations in Venezuela, although he said that there are also in other countries in the region. .
“In Venezuela there are human rights violations. There is also violation of human rights in Colombia. In Chile there was a violation of human rights. In our country we have violation of human rights », he affirmed.
“We should not be obsessed with just one, because otherwise all we are doing is repeating a frame of the dominant press where we only accuse two or three countries,” he added.
Cafiero recalled that Argentina made “recommendations” last February, within the framework of the United Nations Human Rights Council, “on the need to move forward with improving human rights policy” in Venezuela.
