The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, Arancha González Laya, in his visit to the Colombian city of Cúcuta, located in the department of Norte de Santander and bordering Venezuela, assured that he will continue with his efforts so that Venezuelan migration remains at the “center of attention of the international community and being object of international solidarity ”.
For this reason, González and his Colombian counterpart, Claudia Blum, announced during a press conference in Cúcuta that The Spanish government decided to donate 144 million euros (USD 173.8 million) to Colombia to serve Venezuelan migrants arriving in the coffee country.
At the border, the Spanish minister visited three projects to assist Venezuelan migrants that Spain has helped finance through the Agency for International Development Cooperation and which are mainly dedicated to offering health and education services.
“I had the opportunity to visit this morning a primary medical care center where health care is being provided to many of the migrants who arrive at this border, care for children and women, in terms of accompaniment and family planning, (an issue) so important to accompany tremendously vulnerable women in this migration situation “said the Spanish minister at a press conference.
González also had the opportunity to visit a project financed by Unicef in which Venezuelan children are offered “a safe, quiet space where they can educate themselves, where they can entertain themselves and where they can carry out their childhood activities, so that migration does not rob them of their childhood ”, exclaimed the Chancellor.
For her part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia thanked the Spanish official and her delegation for visiting Cúcuta, and seeing first-hand the efforts that Colombia is making to assist migrants.
“The Colombian Government has done everything in its power to provide care for Venezuelan migrants, but our funds and resources are not enough to address this very serious crisis that we are suffering at the border. So we need not only our resources, but also international cooperation, “Blum assured the media present at the diplomatic visit.
In addition to the 144 million euros, Spain will donate an additional 3 million euros (USD 3.6 million) to Colombia so that the Colombian State can invest in the care of street children.
Nicolás Maduro spoke out against the visit
The president of the regime in Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, criticized the presence of Foreign Minister González Laya in Colombia and asked his vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, and his foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza, to review diplomatic relations with that nation.
“Anyone who wants good treatment has to give respect and good treatment to Venezuela. Let us proceed to thoroughly review all relations with Spain, at all levels,” said the head of state during a presidential ceremony, broadcast on the state channel Venezolana de Televisión. .
The president accused González Laya of being in favor of xenophobic discourse, which, in his opinion, is promoted by the Government of Colombia.
“Today the Spanish Chancellor is going to declare in favor of Colombia’s xenophobic policy against Venezuela (…) Outside of Latin America, Chancellor of Spain, enough humiliation against Venezuela,” he added.
With information from Anadolu Agency
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