“Don’t let the dictatorship in Venezuela be normalized”

This Thursday, Costa Rica called Nicaragua and Venezuela dictatorships and accused them of violating the human rights of their population and causing the migration of millions of people through the Latin American region.

«There is no doubt that Nicolás Maduro did not win the elections (in Venezuela). There is also no doubt that he plans to stay in power at all costs. “Let us not allow repression and dictatorship to be normalized once again in Venezuela,” said the Foreign Minister of Costa Rica, Arnoldó André, in his speech before the United Nations General Assembly.

The chancellor recalled that Costa Rica, like “the vast majority of countries in the region,” has condemned the “manipulation of the results” of the Venezuelan elections and continues to demand “an impartial, transparent and independent verification” of those results. .

«Venezuela cannot be considered a democracy. “A democracy does not expel 8 million of its citizens or cause an unprecedented migration crisis whose repercussions are felt throughout the Western Hemisphere,” André asserted.

He added that “a democracy also does not persecute or intimidate, imprison or torture for political reasons.”

André also described neighboring Nicaragua, under the command of Daniel Ortega, as a “dictatorship” that represses citizens and forces them to flee the country.

«There are thousands of people who cross our northern border every day fleeing the repression of a dictatorship that has been in Nicaragua for almost three decades, a dictatorship that has deprived them of their freedom, their human rights, their dreams and even their citizenship, making them stateless,” said the Costa Rican foreign minister.

He recalled that Costa Rica was the first country in Latin America to grant nationality to stateless people and called on the international community to eradicate this condition in the world.

The official also referred to the humanitarian crisis in Haiti, where he criticized that there has been a “minimal and immorally low response from the international community” and that the 674 million dollars required for a response plan represent 0.03% of the global military spending.

André also called on the international community to adopt “a coordinated and multilateral approach” to confront organized crime activities such as drug trafficking, human trafficking and arms trafficking, which have found “fertile ground” to grow exponentially. “alarming” in Latin America.

The chancellor emphasized the importance of multilateralism to confront the various political, environmental, social and humanitarian crises facing the planet, and to seek solutions to armed conflicts.

He also advocated for better financial tools for development that are adapted to the needs and fiscal situations of the countries.

“Mutilateralism must be blue,” said André, calling on nations to redouble their efforts to protect the oceans and to approve international treaties on plastics, the high seas, and to avoid starting mining on the seabed until there is certainty that it will not have harmful effects on the marine environment.