Ukraine signs joint declaration on Venezuela

Ukraine and 20 other countries signed a joint declaration on Venezuela during the inauguration of President Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic.

This was reported by Rubryka, citing the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine.

Ukraine was represented at the inauguration by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Yuliia Svyrydenko. This visit marked the first time in 22 years that a Ukrainian delegation has visited the Dominican Republic.

The declaration, signed in Santo Domingo de Guzmán, called on all political actors in Venezuela to exercise restraint in their public actions.

The signatory countries included Argentina, Canada, Chile, the Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Spain, the United States, Guatemala, Guyana, Italy, the Netherlands, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, the Dominican Republic, Suriname, Uruguay, and the European Union.

"Respect for human dignity is the main principle on which peaceful coexistence in our societies is built. We call for respect for 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 important to us, just as the countries of Latin America are not indifferent to the fate of Ukraine and the values we are defending from Russian aggression," said Svyrydenko.

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

"We deeply condemn the repression of protesters and the violence that has claimed the lives of many Venezuelans in the post-election context. We urgently call on Venezuela to end the violence and release all detainees, including opposition representatives. Additionally, we ask for the immediate return of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to Venezuela and call on Venezuela to provide the necessary conditions for it to fully fulfill its mandate," the declaration stated.

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

During the inauguration events, Svyrydenko held a meeting with the Dominican Republic's Vice President, Raquel Peña. She received assurances that the Dominican Republic has the potential to become a logistics center for Ukrainian exports to the region and is interested in increasing imports from Ukraine. Ukraine and the Dominican Republic agreed to establish cooperation between their Chambers of Commerce and Industry to hold business forums and strengthen bilateral trade.

In addition, the minister held meetings with the President of Guatemala, Bernardo Arevalo, the President of Suriname, Chan Santokhi, the Prime Minister of Belize, Johnny Briceño, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica, Arnoldo André Tinoco.