Ukraine and 20 other countries have joined the Joint Statement on Venezuela Election. The signing took place on the sidelines of the inauguration of the President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader. Ukraine was represented at the inauguration by Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Economy of Ukraine. This is the first visit of a Ukrainian delegation to the Dominican Republic in the last 22 years.

The declaration was signed in Santo Domingo de Guzmán. The signatory countries express a strong call for restraint in their public actions by all political actors in Venezuela.

Among the countries that signed the declaration: the Argentine Republic, Canada, the Republic of Chile, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Costa Rica, the Republic of Ecuador, the Kingdom of Spain, the United States of America, the Republic of Guatemala, Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Italian Republic, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Republic of Panama, Republic of Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Portuguese Republic, Dominican Republic, Republic of Suriname, Eastern Republic of Uruguay, European Union.

‘Respect for human dignity is the fundamental principle on which peaceful coexistence in our societies is built. We call for the respect of democratic principles, as well as the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Venezuelans, including freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. The protection of democratic principles in Venezuela is as important to us as it is to Latin American countries, who care about the fate of Ukraine and the values we defend against russian aggression,’ said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

The signatories of the declaration also called for the release of Venezuelans arbitrarily detained during peaceful protests.

“We express our deep condemnation of the repression of protesters and the violence that has claimed the lives of many Venezuelans in the post-election context. We urgently call on Venezuelan authorities to end the violence and release all those who have been detained, including opposition representatives. Furthermore, we request the immediate return of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to Venezuela, and call on Venezuela to ensure the necessary conditions for it to fully carry out its mandate,” the Joint Statement reads.

The signatories called for the publication of the original election protocols and an impartial and independent verification of the results, preferably by an international organisation, to ensure that the will of the Venezuelan people as expressed in the elections is respected.

It is worth remining during the events dedicated to the inauguration of the President of the Dominincan Repiblic Yuliia Svyrydenko met with Vice President Raquel Peña Rodríguez and received assurances that the Dominican Republic has the potential to become a logistics centre for Ukrainian exports to the region and is interested in increasing imports from Ukraine. Ukraine and the Dominican Republic agreed to establish cooperation at the level of Chambers of Commerce and Industry to further hold business forums and boost bilateral trade.

Besides, Yuliia Svyrydenko had meetings with President of Guatemala Bernardo Arévalo, President of Suriname Chan Santokhi, Prime Minister of Belize Johnny Briceño, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica Arnoldo André Tinoco.