Haavisto to attend int´l conference on Venezuela in Peru

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto is scheduled to participate in an international conference dealing with the situation in Venezuela on Tuesday in Lima, Peru.

The meeting will be attended by foreign ministers from around the world, particularly from the Latin American countries, the Caribbean and North America. During his visit, Haavisto will also meet for bilateral talks with the foreign ministers of several Latin American countries, said an official press release.

“Finland supports working closely with countries in the area to resolve the situation in Venezuela. The activities of the EU-led international contact group play an integral role in this work. The work of the Lima Group, a regional bloc made up of countries in the Americas, is also vital. Finland supports all efforts to find a peaceful and democratic solution to the Venezuela crisis,” Haavisto said.

The political crisis in Venezuela reached a breaking point at the start of 2019, when President Nicolás Maduro began his disputed second term while National Assembly President Juan Guaidó declared himself acting President. Despite many international negotiation attempts, the situation has not yet been resolved and remains tense.

The worsening humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, which has been compounded by recent blackouts, is a shared concern of the EU Member States. According to the UN, nearly seven million people, or 25 per cent of the country’s population, are in need of humanitarian aid. Since last year, the EU has allocated a total of EUR 117.6 million for crisis management in Venezuela and its neighbouring countries.