(CNN Spanish) — The questioned president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, will not attend the Celac summit that is being held in Argentina, the Venezuelan government reported in a statement on Monday.
According to information from the Venezuelan Ministry of Communications, the reason for the suspension of the president’s trip would be security.
The statement says that the Venezuelan government was informed of an alleged “aggression plan” once morest the delegation headed by Nicolás Maduro.
The Argentine Foreign Ministry responded to CNN that they are not going to comment on the issue.
On behalf of Venezuela, only its foreign minister, Yvan Gil, has attended.
#URGENT???? Venezuela will send the Chancellor of the Republic to CELAC following learning of a plan of aggression once morest the delegation and the President. @NicolasMaduro . Read here the #announcement complete ????????#ConMaduroVamosPaLante pic.twitter.com/W5cn2AXnXL
— Alfred Nazareth (@luchaalmada) January 23, 2023
Maduro was scheduled to meet with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on the sidelines of the summit on Monday, before the meeting was cancelled.
Answering questions from journalists on Monday, Lula said that Brazil will restore diplomatic relations with Venezuela, which were suspended during the government of his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.
“We want Venezuela to have an embassy in Brazil and Brazil to have an embassy in Venezuela, and we will restore a civil relationship between two autonomous, free and independent states,” Lula said during a joint press conference with the Argentine president in Buenos Aires.
“We will solve the problem of Venezuela with dialogue and not with blockades. We will resolve it with dialogue and not with threats of occupation. We will solve it with dialogue and not with personal offenses”, Lula completed.
With information from Mia Alberti and Stefano Pozzebon.
