Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson flew to Venezuela in February to meet President Nicolás Maduro.
The Sunday Times first reported that Johnson had traveled to Venezuela for the meeting on a private jet while on holiday in the Caribbean.
A spokesman for Johnson told the BBC that the purpose of the visit was to “underline the need for Venezuela to adopt a proper democratic process.”
Maduro was re-elected in 2018 after judges banned his main opponents from competing, plunging the country into a major political and economic crisis.
Johnson is no longer a member of the Cabinet (Victoria Jones/PA)
Most opposition parties have refused to recognize the election results and have challenged Maduro’s rule by creating an interim government, a push for change that has faded in recent years.
Since then there has been strong international pressure for Venezuela to hold free and fair elections.
Venezuela also passed a referendum last year to claim sovereignty over an oil- and mineral-rich area of neighboring Guyana, which Guyana disputes.
British Minister for the Americas and the Caribbean David Rutley met Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali in December to highlight the British Government’s support for Guyana.
Johnson’s spokesman told the BBC that he “has repeatedly made it clear that there can be no hope of normalization of relations until Venezuela fully embraces democracy and respects the territorial integrity of its neighbors.”
“He also defended Ukraine’s victory against the Venezuelan government.”
The spokesperson also told the broadcaster that the trip “came at no cost to either British taxpayers or the Venezuelan government.”
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2024-03-12 08:06:11
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