Venezuela Calls on Non-Aligned Countries to Defend Right to Live in Peace
Orinoco Tribune, January 21, 2024 —
The Venezuelan minister for foreign affairs, Yván Gil, called on the member countries of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), during its summit held in Kampala, Uganda, to defend the right of peoples and nations to live in peace
During his speech this Friday, January 19, at the plenary session of the 19th NAM Summit, Minister Gil said that the bloc must take a central role in the fight against those who promote eternal war.
In addition, Minister Gil denounced the use of unilateral coercive measures, also known as sanctions, as one of the manifestations of today’s neocolonialism.
Minister Gil stated that these measures collectively violate the human rights of people and constitute “the main obstacle to the achievement of our national development plans.”
Minister Gil noted that Venezuela has been fighting against sanctions for years and that these sanctions are part of a plan of maximum calculated cruelty. He explained that these measures seek, through pain and suffering, to establish regimes that respond to the political, economic, and geostrategic interests of those nations implementing the sanctions.
Furthermore, Minister Gil highlighted how, despite the sanctions, the government of Venezuela has always protected its people through social investment.
“We convey the fraternal, combative, and supportive message of President Nicolás Maduro to the plenary session of the 19th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM),” wrote the foreign minister in a statement. “Only together, will the nations of the Global South be able to defend the right of peoples and nations to live in peace,” wrote Minister Gil on social media.
The Non-Aligned Movement was formally established in 1961 and spearheaded by Yugoslavia’s Josip Broz Tito, India’s Jawaharlal Nehru, Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser, Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah, and Indonesia’s Sukarno. Today, the NAM includes 120 countries, making it the largest grouping of states worldwide outside of the United Nations. Venezuela joined the NAM in 1989 and hosted the NAM summit in 2016.
Venezuela present at the G77+China Summit
The foreign minister announced that he is also participating in the third G77+China Southern Summit which is also being held in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. He also said that the objective of this summit is to promote the economic interests of the Global South.
Minister Gil explained that during the event he met with the Foreign Minister of Namibia, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, with whom he agreed on the importance of expanding the recent commercial and economic cooperation agreements between both countries.
In addition, Minister Gil met with the secretary general of the United Nations, António Guterres, and addressed the urgent need to transform the global financial system.