Following instructions from the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Venezuelan Embassy in Rome was summoned today to the Farnesina.
During the meeting, the Minister, the Government, and the Italian parliamentary forces reiterated their deep concern about the ongoing crisis that has arisen following the 28 July elections, repeating the request for the publication of the electoral records and their immediate independent verification.
Italy also strongly condemns the news of the arrest warrant issued against Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, an opposition presidential candidate.
Reiterating the request for the release of political prisoners, as emphasised by Minister Tajani this morning, particular attention during the meeting was given to detainees with Italian citizenship, reaffirming the expectation for their protection and guaranteed consular access.
“In Venezuela, there is an attempt to stifle freedom,” Minister Tajani noted, stressing the absolute necessity of respecting democratic voting, which has been undermined by the numerous manipulations observed by independent election monitors: “The Venezuelan authorities must publish the election results. The Venezuelan people have the right to freely decide their own future.”
Immediately after the elections, Minister Tajani established a permanent “task force” at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to monitor developments in Venezuela. “From the very beginning,” he recalled, “we have condemned the detainment measures taken against Venezuelan citizens, including many Italo-Venezuelans, and have expressed strong concern about the ongoing restrictions on press freedom in the country, advocating for the right to information for the Venezuelan population and for local, Italian, and international journalists currently in the country.”