The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Melonirecognized Edmundo González Urrutia as elected president of Venezuela and condemned the “brutal repression” of the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro.
“We do not recognize Maduro’s proclaimed victory, the result of very non-transparent elections. “We continue to condemn the brutal repression of the regime, which has led to the death of protesters, the arbitrary arrest of thousands of political opponents and the exile of the presidential candidate of the democratic opposition.”said the Italian premier in a press conference in Argentina with President Javier Milei.
And he added: “I believe it is our duty to raise our voices, and I thank President Milei because he has done so repeatedly. During my presidency, we have expressed this position even more clearly together with the European Union, working for a democratic and peaceful transition in Venezuela, so that the preference expressed by the Venezuelan people for the elected president González Urrutia and their legitimate aspirations for freedom and democracy are respected.”
“The crisis that is going through Venezuela It is an issue that, both for Italy and for Argentina, is particularly important,” said the Italian president.
Melons made up first official visit to Argentina since he came to office, in 2022, and the objective of his meeting with Milei is to give a boost to bilateral trade and investments in the South American country.
The Italian Government is interested in the energy, IT, infrastructure, food industry and precision machinery sectors.
The premiere arrived on Tuesday night in Buenos Aires from Rio de Janeiro, where participated in the G20 summit, and had dinner with Milei at Quinta de Olivos, the presidential residence located on the outskirts of the capital.
At mid-morning this Wednesday, the Italian Prime Minister arrived at the center of the Argentine executive branch, after making a floral offering at the monument to the hero José de San Martín, where she was accompanied by Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein.
She was then received at the Casa Rosada by the sister of the head of state and general secretary of the Presidency, Karina Milei, who escorted her through the hall of Honor until she met the Argentine president and merged with him in a hug.
On November 9, Meloni received Edmundo González Urrutia at the Chigi Palace, his official residence, whom he congratulated on the award of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Conscience awarded by the European Parliament.
“The prime minister stressed that the Italian Government has the situation in Venezuela as a priority, also in the current presidency of the G7,” Meloni’s office said in a statement. And he added that the president has expressed her “support for ongoing efforts to facilitate a democratic and peaceful transition that responds to the will of the Venezuelan people.”
“Meloni has also reiterated the call for “that human rights violations, arbitrary detentions and restrictions on fundamental freedoms, in particular towards the political opposition, be put to an immediate end.”concluded the official text.
González Urrutia, for his part, highlighted the “excellent meeting” held with Meloni. “We share the concern about the repression and violation of Human Rights in Venezuela by the regime, as well as the persecution of Venezuelan political leaders. This is an issue that causes a lot of alarm among leaders and representatives of democratic countries,” he noted on his account on the social network X.
He also expressed his gratitude for Italy’s efforts “in front of the G7” and the mention of Venezuela in the UN General Assembly. “I asked him to continue with that work ahead of the G-20 Summit,” he said.
“Between Italy and Venezuela we have generational ties that we are both committed to honoring. “It has been an honor to speak with the first woman prime minister of Italy”concluded González Urrutia.
(With information from EFE and EP)
