Antony Blinken: The United States is determined to see Venezuela return to a democratic path

The United States is determined to see Venezuela “return to a democratic course “that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday, who is visiting Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

The United States supports a democratic Venezuela

In a press conference with Dominican President Luis Abinader, Blinken stressed that “putting Venezuela on a democratic path is of utmost importance, first of all, for the Venezuelan people,” but also for the entire hemisphere and for other countries that have expressed concern about the situation in the South American country.

“We are deeply concerned about the trajectory in Venezuela following the election, where the will of the people could not have been clearer. Unfortunately, that will and their votes have not been reflected in what has happened since then,” Blinken said in reference to the presidential elections of July 28.

That day, the Venezuelan National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed Nicolás Maduro the winner, a move that has been questioned by the opposition and numerous countries, one of them the United States.

A concern shared by Abinader, who assured that the Dominican Republic will continue working with the international community to “defend democracy and the desire of the Venezuelan people” and that his government will continue to support the resolutions on this matter of the Organization of American States (OAS).

Abinader, who also expressed concern about the arrest warrant in Venezuela against the standard-bearer of the Democratic Unitary Platform, Edmundo González Urrutia, advocated for “a hemispheric response” coordinated with the UN.

There is no legal notification of another Maduro plane

Regarding the existence of a second aircraft on Dominican soil, Abinader limited himself to pointing out that they have no further legal notification of another aircraft belonging to the Venezuelan government.

The Dominican Republic recently handed over to the United States an official plane belonging to Nicolás Maduro that had been in the country since last May for maintenance, which Washington claimed as part of the sanctions applied to Caracas.

In this regard, Blinken said: “If we find that there have been violations, we will act; that is what we did and that is what we will continue to do (…) We have enforced our sanctions and we will continue to do so when appropriate.”

Abinader also responded to a question about the warnings made by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Justice and Peace of Venezuela, Diosdado Cabello, that, after the delivery of the plane, he will catch it “on the low side,” referring to oil.

“We don’t have oil, but our economy is bigger than Venezuela’s, so we will continue to defend democratic principles, now in government and for as long as we live,” he stressed.

Press Conference – Official Visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Dominican President Luis Abinader. https://t.co/cjghU4XbCn

— Luis Abinader (@luisabinader) September 6, 2024