The foreign ministers of the Mercosur met in Foz do Iguaçu, in Paraná, before the meeting between the bloc’s presidents and set the tone that will permeate the Leaders’ Summit scheduled for this Saturday (20): warnings about the situation of Venezuela and appeals for signing of the agreement with the European Union.
The Javier Milei Summit, from Argentina; Yamandú Orsi, from Uruguay; Santiago Peña, from Paraguay; besides Lula. The only casualty is Rodrigo Paz, recently sworn in as president of Bolivia and still organizing his government.
At the meeting of foreign ministers on Friday (19), Argentine minister Pablo Quirno expressed “concern” about the situation. Milei’s representative pointed out that “electoral fraud and persistent violations of human rights constitute an affront to the entire region.”
Quirno was accompanied by the Paraguayan minister on the issue. Rubén Ramírez Lezcano also expressed concern about the issue and pointed to the “deterioration of democratic institutions and the violation of fundamental rights” in Venezuela.
According to the chancellor, this situation has led to a migration and security crisis that challenges the response capacity of countries in the region.
“In this context, we want to reiterate our recognition to María Corina Machado, who recently received the Nobel Peace Prize, a ceremony attended by President Santiago Peña, a gesture that reaffirms our country’s commitment to defending democracy and human dignity”, declared the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The ministers’ speeches take place at a time of Since August, the United States has deployed a strong military apparatus in the Caribbean. At first, the White House justified the operation as part of the fight against international drug trafficking.
The tendency is for tension in Venezuela — as well as the agreement with the EU — this Saturday, especially in the speeches of Milei and Peña.
Regarding the treaty with the Europeans, Paraguayan Mas emphasized that “there is no infinite period of time to reach an agreement.” The positioning is especially important because Paraguay is the next president of the South American bloc.
Mario Lubetkin, Uruguayan minister, expressed our “disappointment that we could not sign it” on Saturday. “Uruguay will await the conclusion of the European Union’s internal procedures so that the Pro Tempore Presidency of Paraguay can define the concrete steps for the desired signature,” he stated.
The Argentine foreign minister said that the country hopes to finalize the signing of the agreement “as soon as possible” and defended that the postponement is an “opportunity for Mercosur to reflect on its priorities in terms of external relations and to move towards more agile bilateral schemes, oriented towards obtaining concrete results”.
