In an interview on the Hoy por Hoy programme on SER radio, on the day that the Venezuelan Prosecutor’s Office summoned opposition leader Edmundo González to testify, the Spanish Foreign Minister stressed that the government has a very clear position on the situation in Venezuela, which it avoided classifying as a dictatorship.
“We will not recognize any election result if the minutes of all the polling stations are not displayed and can be verified by the opposition and by independent bodies,” stressed the minister, who has defended the right to freedom of expression and peaceful demonstration for all Venezuelans and, especially, for political leaders.
Diplomat, not political scientist
Asked directly about the possibility that he considers the Maduro regime to be a dictatorship, he pointed out that a minister is not there to act as a political analyst, but to achieve objectives, and Spain’s role is to be able to speak with both the Venezuelan government and the opposition.
Albares said that Venezuelans were able to vote freely on July 28 and the question now is to enforce what they decided.
Regarding the possibility of sanctions against the Maduro regime, he said that the Government will consider any measure that could help the democratic will of Venezuelans triumph.
“I am not ruling out anything at all, but what we do want is to not move away from our objective and our objective is that the solution be a peaceful and negotiated solution between Venezuelans and not a violent solution,” Albares added.
He denounced the PP’s “hoaxes”
He took the opportunity to criticise the PP’s attitude in this matter, stating that it is not true, as its leaders claim, that the Government is equidistant or silent, and he believes that it has been shown that its only objective is to try to wear down the Executive through “hoaxes”.
Albares acknowledged the work of former President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who he said the Government “values and appreciates” and affirmed that he carries out “in his own name.”
Albares also referred to the situation in the Middle East to advocate for dialogue to avoid a regional war after the confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah and insisted that the solution to achieve peace in the region involves the coexistence of two States, Israel and Palestine.
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