Foreign Minister Ampuero addresses crisis in Nicaragua and Venezuela

Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero met today with Edmundo Jarquín, candidate for President of Nicaragua in the 2006 elections and for Vice-President in 2011, who is currently visiting Chile.

During the meeting, the Foreign Minister and Jarquín addressed the situation in Nicaragua. Two weeks ago, that country faced violent protests, which resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries.

"We are concerned about what is happening, we deeply regret the deaths that have occurred, the wounded that have resulted from the protests against the government of Daniel Ortega and we reiterate the call to the Nicaraguan authorities to be extraordinarily prudent in their handling of the security forces against those who are protesting against that government today," said Foreign Minister Ampuero at the end of the meeting.

On April 22, Chile signed a public statement with Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and Brazil expressing its concern about the situation in Nicaragua.

Crisis in Venezuela

After the meeting, the Foreign Minister also addressed the crisis currently facing Venezuela, expressing his concern about the reports made by several magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice of Venezuela, regarding raids on the residences of their relatives living in that country. One of them was carried out by Judge Elenis del Valle, who is in the country as a political asylum seeker since last year.

"We call on the Venezuelan government to listen carefully to its people and to seek a solution that will really bring about a situation within the country that will allow them to emerge from this dreadful crisis," he said.

When asked about his presence at the next meeting of the Lima Group, scheduled for May 14th, the Foreign Minister declared: "We, like Chile, and we share this with the majority of the countries that make up the Lima group, believe that this cannot be a simple declaration, as we have already made several declarations, and the proposals that the Lima Group has made have not been heard, even though they are very serious and basically seek dialogue, the encounter and the creation of conditions accepted by all Venezuelans for Venezuela to emerge from the drama in which it finds itself".