2023-04-26 00:34:00
Washington will gradually lift the sanctions on Venezuela if the country moves toward restoring fair elections, a senior US official said.
The United States does not want to maintain its restrictions on Venezuela “forever” and would like to see the country prosper, US Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer told reporters in Bogotá on Tuesday.
“We are more than willing to reduce and ultimately end our sanctions pressures, but it will take concrete and significant steps and ultimately free and fair elections to get there.” Finner said.
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Finer made these statements after attending a summit organized by the Colombian government with the aim of unblocking the stalled negotiations between the Venezuelan government of Nicolás Maduro and the opposition.
Representatives from 19 other countries and the European Union also attended the event, which was chaired by Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
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The Government of the President of the United States, Joe Biden envisions a “step-by-step approach” in which steps toward restoring democracy Venezuelan government are accompanied by measures to ease sanctions, Finer said.
Last year, the US partially eased sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, though most of them are still in place. This gives Washington “significant leverage,” Finer said.
The Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Álvaro Leyva, told the press that the participants in the meeting agree on the need to establish a calendar for holding “free and transparent” elections and the progressive lifting of sanctions simultaneously. The parties will meet again shortly, he added.
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