The governments of the US, Canada, the UK and the European Union urged Nicolás Maduro’s government and the Venezuelan opposition to “interact in good faith” in talks in Mexico until a comprehensive agreement is reached that will lead to free elections. .

Countries, which are united through joint statement released on Saturday, they repeated demands for the “immediate” release of all political prisoners. They also emphasized the possibility of “reconsidering policy” regarding sanctions if the Maduro government makes significant progress during democracy negotiations and to reduce the “suffering” of the Venezuelan people.

The text “celebrates” the negotiating parties’ decision to restart the dialogue process in Mexico City.

“We urge the parties to interact in good faith towards a comprehensive agreement that leads to free and fair elections in 2024, restoration of democratic institutions and an end to the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela,” the joint statement said.

The declaration was signed by Foreign Minister Antony J. Blinken, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell Fontelles; Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly and British Foreign Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Development James Cleverly.

Maduro’s government and the opposition signed an agreement on Saturday in the Mexican capital providing for the creation of a fund, to be administered by the United Nations, to address the complex social crisis in Venezuela within the framework of reactivating dialogue. .

Catalog text as “positive humanitarian agreement of the Social Table and the willingness of all parties to promote joint initiatives that benefit the Venezuelan people and help meet their urgent humanitarian needs.”

The signatories to the joint declaration thanked the United Nations for the work done. They also highlighted Norway’s role “for its tireless dedication in facilitating this process, Mexico as host of negotiations and actor of Venezuelan democracy.”

“We believe that participation in negotiations must be inclusive, diverse and representative of the Venezuelan population, so that a solid and lasting agreement is reached,” the statement said.

Freedom for political prisoners

The joint statement indicated that both the US, Europe, Canada and the UK continue to “demand the unconditional release of all persons unjustly detained for political reasons, the independence of electoral processes and judicial institutions, freedom of expression, including for members of the press, and respect for to human rights”.

In turn, they insisted on the “immediate” implementation of the recommendations formulated by the EU Election Observation Mission in Venezuela since 2021 and which are aimed at “improving future electoral processes in line with international commitments to democratic elections taken over by Venezuela.”

The signatories to the joint declaration reiterated their willingness to continue working with international partners to address the urgent needs of all Venezuelans, inside and outside their country.

“We reaffirm our willingness to reconsider the sanctions policy if the regime makes significant progress in the announced talks to alleviate the suffering of the Venezuelan people and bring them closer to the goal of restoring democracy,” the joint statement concluded.

Connect with Voice of America! Subscribe to our channel YouTube and turn on notifications, or follow us on social networks: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.