What Argentina said about asylum seekers in its embassy in Caracas

The Argentine government acknowledged on Tuesday that it is “moving forward” so that the six Venezuelan opponents who have taken refuge in its embassy in Caracas “have absolutely no problems,” following the decision of Nicolás Maduro’s government to revoke the authorization that Brazil had to guard the diplomatic headquarters.

“Venezuela is an issue that we take with great caution and when we actually have something defined and we actually have some progress in these matters, we will let you know,” said presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni, in his usual press conference at the Casa Rosada (headquarters of the Executive).

“Brazil is in line with this issue, which cannot escape international conventions, good practices, the law and respect, not only for Argentina, but also for the fact that no country in the world can attack or try to take away the value of an embassy in a foreign country,” the spokesman added.

Brazil has taken control of Argentina’s diplomatic mission in Caracas after the South American country’s diplomatic staff was expelled in early August, amid tensions between the two governments following Argentine President Javier Milei’s accusation that Maduro’s victory in the July 28 elections was fraudulent.

Following the Venezuelan leader’s decision to revoke Brazil’s authorization to guard the headquarters, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his concern on Sunday about the situation and confirmed that Brazil “will remain in charge of the custody and defense of Argentine interests until Argentina designates another State” valid for the administration of the Venezuelan president.

At the same time, some of the asylum seekers warned this weekend about the “siege” of the diplomatic headquarters by Venezuelan security forces, who had “taken over access” to the building and cut off the electricity supply.

On this issue, Adorni said today that “the incidents that occurred over the weekend caused a lot of concern to everyone,” although he clarified that “they have been defused or have not escalated.”

On Friday, the Argentine Foreign Ministry had urged the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to request the issuance of “arrest warrants against Nicolás Maduro and other leaders of the regime,” considering that they committed “crimes against humanity” following the presidential elections.

“We are facing a dictator who is far from wanting to normalize the situation in Venezuela through democratic means. The request was made because it is our position and because in Venezuela we saw how he tore apart the Venezuelan people,” the spokesman said today. Argentinean.