According to reports, Boris Johnson traveled to Venezuela in February for unofficial discussions with its authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro.
According to the Sunday Times, the ex-prime minister held discussions with the Venezuelan leader regarding the conflict in Ukraine. There are apprehensions that the socialist country may provide arms or military assistance to Russia.
Furthermore, he touched upon the requirements for establishing normalized relations with the United Kingdom, which does not recognize Maduro’s government as legitimate. Maduro has held governmental authority for a duration of eleven years.
Johnson’s team informed the Sunday Times that David Cameron, the foreign secretary, was made aware of the trip. Johnson also had a conversation with Colin Dick, the highest-ranking British diplomat in the nation.
A source from the Foreign Office stated that Johnson informed Lord Cameron about the summit while en route, saying: “It was a personal trip, but Boris messaged the foreign secretary during the journey.”
Since it was an unofficial conversation, neither permission was necessary nor requested.
Given the current state of bilateral relations and overall uncertainty regarding western relations with Venezuela, the discussions are unconventional. This is especially notable as the country is slated to hold presidential elections on July 28th.
This country in South America is home to the biggest oil reserves in the world. It has shown support for President Putin and has attributed the Russian invasion of Ukraine to Nato.
Johnson, who is 59 years old, reportedly flew on a private jet in February from a family vacation in the Dominican Republic to a destination outside of Caracas. He stayed there for less than 24 hours.
According to his representative, Boris Johnson held a meeting with officials from the Venezuelan government as supported by the FCDO and with the knowledge of the foreign secretary. The purpose of the meeting was to underscore the importance of Venezuela adopting a legitimate democratic process.
“He consistently emphasized that there can be no improvement in relations until Venezuela fully embraces democratic principles and respects the sovereignty of its neighboring countries. He also presented the argument for the significance of Ukraine’s victory to the Venezuelan government.”
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The Foreign, Commonwealth and Developent Office (FCDO) was reached out to for a response.
In the previous month, advocate groups advocating for human rights demanded that the Venezuelan government cease its efforts to suppress civil society. This came after the imprisonment of well-known lawyer Rocío San Miguel and the subsequent expulsion of a UN human rights office from Caracas for speaking out against her detention.
Valentina Ballesta, a researcher for South America at Amnesty International, stated that the recent removal of the UN high commissioner and his office demonstrates the government’s ongoing efforts to distance itself from global inspection of its human rights track record. Ballesta urges the international community not to abandon their efforts to bring attention to this issue.
The United Nations Human Rights Council has accused Maduro and other high-ranking Venezuelan officials of committing acts of torture, abduction, and unlawful killings, potentially amounting to crimes against humanity.
Source: theguardian.com
