CARACAS.- The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Argentina, Diana Mondino, held a videoconference this Thursday with the six Venezuelan opponents who are taking refuge in the Argentine Embassy in Caracas. During the conversation, Mondino reiterated the support of Buenos Aires and the commitment to ensure safe passage for refugees.
“Chancellor Mondino held a dialogue with the six Venezuelan citizens sheltered in our Official Residence in Caracas, reaffirming the absolute commitment of the Argentine Government to democracy, freedom and the rule of law,” reported the Argentine Foreign Ministry in its account. x.
As 70 days passed since the opponents entered the Argentine diplomatic headquarters in Caracas, the Argentine Government highlighted its continued protection of them and urged Venezuela to “immediately issue safe-conduct passes” that would allow them to leave the country.
The issue of safe passage has been a recurring topic for Minister Mondino, who at the beginning of April indicated that Buenos Aires was in negotiations so that the six dissidents, collaborators of the Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, could leave Venezuela.
Argentina granted political asylum to the six opponents weeks ago: Pedro Urruchurtu, Humberto Villalobos, Claudia Macero, Omar González, Fernando Martínez Mottola and Magallí Meda, the latter Machado's electoral campaign manager, who was disqualified by the Venezuelan justice, preventing him from participating in the next elections.
Recently, the Argentine authorities reported that their Embassy in Caracas suffered an interruption in the electricity supply, coinciding with the reception of opponents, just before the closing of the registration of candidates for the presidential elections in July.
