NEWSLETTER 18

Newsletter

Bolivarian Ministry of People’s Embassy of the Bolivarian Government Power for Foreign Affairs Republic of Venezuela of Venezuela

Vol. 4: Issue 18, 24th Sept, 2018

Weekly

What’s inside

Russia condemns threats of military intervention in Venezuela Venezuelan Government expresses condolences to Russia after the downing of a plane that left 15 people dead

Russia condemns threats of military intervention in Venezuela Venezuelan Government expresses condolences to Russia after the downing of a plane that left 15 people dead What is it and what does the UN General Assembly do?

Venezuela strengthens diplomatic relations with the European Union Nomination process for candidates for Municipal Council elections ends -PDVSA and China Oil Corporation consolidate partnership -Government of Uruguay rejects armed intervention in Venezuela -3,039 Venezuelans repatriated Venezuela sympathizes with the Islamic Republic of Iran on a terrorist attack

Inside Africa:

U.N. Security Council hails Eritrea's diplomatic efforts in Ethiopia, Djibouti

After the recent declarations of the Secretary of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagro, who did not discard a military intervention in Venezuela with the objective of deposing the leadership of the president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, the Government of Russia through the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Relations, María Zajárova, assured that her country strongly condemns a possible military intervention in the Caribbean nation, promoted by the American political elites and the media corporations.

“Moscow strongly condemns the issue of military intervention to Venezuela promoted by some US politicians and their Latin American partners, as well as by the American media”, she said during a press conference held in Moscow, where she also offered details of what the russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov’s agenda will be, during the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly.

In this sense, Zarájova assured that the Latin American countries do not support the interventionist actions of the United States government, because they know the consequences of the policy of the Great Club, which aims at the political and military intervention in the continent as it happened in the twentieth century in countries such as the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Haiti and others.

On the other hand, the Foreign Affairs spokesperson highlighted the serious consequences of the controlled chaos policy that Washington intends to use against the Bolivarian Government of Venezuela and how it’s moving away from the humanitarian objectives declared by the United States.

The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro Moros, on behalf of the Government and the Venezuelan People, expresses his most heartfelt words of condolences to the People and the Government of the Russian Federation, especially to the relatives of the victims of the model plane IL-20, which was shot down on September 18th, 2018, in the Syrian airspace, in the city of Latakia, which resulted in 15 people dead.

This unfortunate incident is the result of the participation of Israeli forces in the Syrian territory, which puts many Russian homes into mourning, under which, the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela stronglycondemns these events and calls for respect for international law and sovereignty and independence of the Syrian territory.

In this circumstance, the Bolivarian Government is in solidarity with the authorities of the Russian Federation in these difficult times, especially with the families of the victims of this event, and prays for the eternal rest of their souls. www.mppre.gob.ve

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WHAT IS IT AND WHAT DOES THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY DO?

September 20th marks 12 years of the historic and memorable speech of Commander Hugo Chávez before the General Assembly, during which he responded forcefully to the American ex-president, George Bush, and denounced not only the policies of the North American government against those countries that he called the “axis of evil”, but also the pretensions of Washington’s world domination.

“Making the United Nations relevant to all: global leadership and shared responsibilities for achieving peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies” will be the focus of the General Debate of the 73rd session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN), which opened on September 18 under the presidency of the Ecuadorian diplomat María Fernanda Espinosa.

“They want to impose on us the democratic model as they conceive it, the false democracy of the elites; also a very original democratic model, imposed by bombs, bombing and imposed through invasions and cannon fire, what kind of democracy”, warned the then venezuelan leader in 2006.

Established in 1945, the General Assembly is the main organ of the United Nations where some of the most important decisions in the world are made. It is held every September, the General Debate in which the political, economic and social situation of the planet is addressed. The General Assembly is the normative and deliberative body of the UN, and the only one that has universal representation as its 193 member States are represented.

In his historic speech, in which he initially pronounced the famous phrase “smells like sulfur”, Comandante Chávez also denounced the threats of the United States against Venezuela and -in parallel- proposed the “refoundation” of the organization, considering that the United Nations’ system was turned into a merely deliberative body without any power to impact the reality of the world.

Under threats

Each nation has the same decision-making power, which requires a two-thirds majority when it comes to matters of vital importance: peace and security, the admission of new members and budgetary matters, among other issues. The principal organ of the United Nations also elects the General Secretary of the multilateral organization and the members of the Security Council.

Twelve years have passed since then and far from ceasing threats, the current US administration has intensified its hostile policy on Caracas. Even President Donald Trump himself threatened the use of military force against Venezuela.

The antecedent of these and other interventionist intentions is found in the Executive Order signed in March 2015 by former President Barack Obama, according to which he declared the Bolivarian Republic as an “unusual and extraordinary threat to the security” of the North American country.

Under its auspices, more than 500 international Treaties have been adopted. In 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals were approved by the General Assembly.

This year, the General Debate will take place between September 25 and October 1. The intervention of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is scheduled for September 27, the day will also involve the representations of Vietnam, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti, Palestine, European Union, Israel, Indonesia, Italy, the Netherlands, Jamaica and Spain. Apart from this debate, the national delegation will fulfill an important diplomatic agenda of a bilateral and multilateral nature; in this last area, the exercise of the presidency of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries (NAM) that the oil nation has held since September 2016.

In due to that decision, the United States has imposed a series of unilateral coercive measures on the Venezuelan State, including the alleged sanctions on President Nicolás Maduro and other high-level officials of the Venezuelan Government.

The disastrous consequences of these actions have been denounced on repeated occasions by the Foreign Minister of the Republic, Jorge Arreaza, in different international forums; among them, the UN Human Rights Council.

Venezuela: A voice against imperialism in the General Assembly

“They have made it difficult for Venezuela to receive what is fundamental and basic for production, for food, for the health of our people,” the diplomat specified from Geneva.

It has been, precisely, the General Assembly of the United Nations the main forum of agreement where the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has raised its voice firmly before the hegemonic pretensions of the government of the United States, during the last two decades.

It is in this context that the venezuelan delegation will attend the 73rd session of the General Assembly of the United Nations to reject, once again, interference and interventionist threats from Washington on Caracas. www.mppre.gob.ve

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Venezuela strengthens diplomatic relations with the European Union

In order to strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the member countries of the European Union, the People’s Power Minister for Foreign Relations, Jorge Arreaza, and diplomatic representatives belonging to this organization, held a joint meeting on Thursday to strengthen relations within the framework of mutual respect.

The high-level meeting was held in the office of FM Arreaza, in the ministerial tower, where the diplomats evaluated the bilateral agenda between the agency and Venezuela, as well as ratified the will of their governments to continue strengthening ties of cooperation.

Recently, Arreaza held a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the European Union and Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain, Josep Borrell, where both ministers committed themselves to continue working to improve relations between Spain and Venezuela through a common work agenda that prioritizes the interests of both peoples. www.mppre.gob.ve

Nomination process for candidates for Municipal Council elections ends

The online nomination process ends for candidates who will participate in Municipal Council elections to be held on December 9th in Venezuela. The nomination process that was initiated on September 10th was extended by the National Electoral Council to widen participation.

The National Electoral Council initiates the procedure to accept or reject nominations which will depend on the requirements each aspirant presents. The December elections will be the 25th to be held in the country since 1998 when Hugo ChĂĄvez became President. More than 20 million Venezuelans will be called to choose 4 thousand legislators for the 335 Municipal Councils existent in the country.

The National Electoral Council set the 2nd of October as final date for subsitutes and modifications of candidates to be reflected in the voting ballot to be used in the elections. On October 8th Political organizations will choose the position on the voting ballot, the electoral organism informed.

Source: Chavez vive

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of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro. Of that total, 2,365 returned from Brazil, 280 from Peru; while 185 returned from Ecuador, from Colombia there have been 115, of which 52 are from the Yukpa indigenous community.

PDVSA and China Oil Corporation consolidate partnership

Repatriated Venezuelans thank the Bolivarian Government for the support given to their return There are thousands of venezuelans who have come to the accredited embassies and consulates of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela – with the objective of requesting help to return to their country – in nations such as Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, among others, countries to which they emigrated with false expectations promoted by a strong media campaign, and also because of a situation resulting from the economic war and the unilateral coercive measures imposed by the US government and the European Union.

Vice President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, Petroleos de Venezuela, SA (PDVSA) and the Chinese Corporation for National Petroleum (CNPC), held a meeting as part of the Comprehensive Strategy between Venezuela and China, in accordance with guidelines of the recent and successful tour of President, Nicolás Maduro to the Asian giant.

This is why, President Nicolás Maduro Moros, in order to protect the venezuelan people, created the Plan Vuelta a la Patria on April 26, 2018, which aims to help all the compatriots who emigrated to another country to return, either by air or land and insert them in the social programs through the carnet de la patria.

This meeting is concreted, after the official visit of the Venezuelan Head of State, where he was received by his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in which financial agreement was made.

At the end of the Sixteenth Meeting of the China-Venezuela High Level Joint Commission (CMAN), a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the Petrourica joint venture to evaluate the feasibility of the thermal

“A special plan to support venezuelans who have gone abroad and lost everything and want to return to work in the country,” said President Nicolás Maduro.

Today, repatriated venezuelans give testimony of how in these countries they were victims of xenophobia, humiliation, labor exploitation, abuse and mistreatment.

Government of Uruguay rejects armed intervention in Venezuela

María Chirinos, who emigrated to Peru with false expectations, saw her son Jonathan López die of pneumonia due to lack of attention and medication because of its high cost.

The Government of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay issued a statement through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, rejecting that the solution to solve an alleged “humanitarian crisis in Venezuela”, is a foreign intervention, after, Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), publicly requested an armed incursion against Venezuela.

“The earned money was not enough to buy the drugs or pay for a clinic, you can not come thinking that the money is enough and that an emergency is not going to happen, everything here is private and expensive”.

On the other hand, Genis Hedrix Zaid León, gives testimony of how from Ecuador he managed to return to Venezuela after being a victim of humiliations and abuse.

Through the communiqué, Uruguay reaffirms its vocation for the respect of International Law and the peaceful settlement of disputes, the strengthening of democracy and the legal equality of States.

He also highlights that during the short time he was in that country, the treatment of the people did not coincide with the way we venezuelans behave towards foreigners, “this being a brother country its people and their behavior towards venezuelans was degrading and hostile”. Express.

3,039 Venezuelans repatriated

Within weeks of arriving in Ecuador he was victim of a robbery, “this prevented me completely from moving, until now that thanks to the Bolivarian Government is helping us to return”.

This is how Gusmary Giménez tells us that she decided to embark to Ecuador, leaving her two children in Venezuela due to a job proposal. “Once I arrived in Ecuador, the job proposal was nothing they said, so I was forced to look for another job”.

A total of 3,039 Venezuelans have been repatriated with the “Vuelta a la Patria” Plan, promoted by the President

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At the same time, she thanked, on behalf of his compatriots, the effort that the Bolivarian Government is making, and she also called upon all venezuelans. “We are the ones who have to take our country forward, we and our children are the future of our homeland, and it is in our country where we will achieve this.”

Finally, Carolina López tells her experience and how she had to beg in the streets of Colombia and live with her sister in deplorable conditions.

“It was a terrible experience, after my sister got sick and was unable to work, I had to beg in the vans and in the streets to survive, because the money was not enough, we slept under a bridge”, said Carolina López.

On September 21, 140 nationals arrived by land from Colombia, while 92 venezuelans, through a flight of the venezuelan airline Conviasa, arrived from Quito, Ecuador to the homeland where, with tears, smiles and hugs, were received by their family and friends. www.mppre.gob.ve

Venezuela sympathizes with the Islamic Republic of Iran on a terrorist attack

At least 25 people were killed and 60 others wounded in Iran after militants dressed as soldiers opened fire on a military parade in a rare brazen terrorist attack. Iranian state-run news outlet the Islamic Republic News Agency (INRA) reported that the death toll is expected to rise after four gunmen fired on the crowd at an annual military parade in Ahvaz in southwest Iran. Members of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps soldiers and civilian attendees were killed and injured, and two of the shooters were killed and the other two captured.

“Terrorists began shooting from a long distance while inside the park, at the armed forces as well as civilians watching the parade,” Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarch, a spokesman for the Iranian armed forces told MEH. Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted earlier that “terrorists recruited, trained, armed & paid by a foreign regime” were responsible for the assault.

He blamed “regional terror sponsors and their US masters” and promised a swift response.

The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, made a statement in rejection of the terrorist attack against the sisterly Islamic Republic of Iran, issuing on behalf of the Bolivarian people and Government, the most sincere condolences and solidarity with the Persian country through an official announcement.

The terrorist act occurred during the military parade of Ahvaz, on the occasion of the Week of Sacred Defense, which is commemorated every September 22, date on which the war that confronted Iran with Iraq between 1980 and 1988 began. The attackers opened fire from a nearby building and behind the government platform against the public present and against the Iranian army units that were marching past, leaving dozens dead and wounded, including women and children.

The Venezuelan President in his official statement said that, “Venezuela communes with all the people of the world in the idea that peace is the only way for humanity, reason why it repudiates any act of terrorism and adds itself to the international denunciation against the world powers that encourage these practices against those considered as their adversaries, threatening peace and world security”. www.mppre.gob.ve

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INSIDE AFRICA:

U.N. Security Council hails Eritrea's diplomatic efforts in Ethiopia, Djibouti

Eritrea – Ethiopia hailed by Nobel laureate on 2018 World Peace day

Members of the United Nations Security Council applauded recent diplomatic developments in the Horn of Africa, pointing out that the Eritrea’s normalisation of relations with Ethiopia and Djibouti will have ‘far-reaching consequences’.

In a statement issued by the council president and U.S representative Nikki Haley, the members also recognised the role played by Saudi Arabia in resolving the hostility between Eritrea and Ethiopia that lasted over two decades. ‘‘The members of the Security Council welcomed the Agreement on Peace, Friendship and Comprehensive Cooperation signed by the President of the State of Eritrea and the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia on 16 September 2018, in Jeddah,’‘ read part of the statement.

Leymah Gbowee, a Nobel Peace laureate said on Friday that the 2018 edition of World Peace Day had to be dedicated to Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The members hope that this meeting will open a new chapter in the relations between Djibouti and Eritrea and encourage the two countries to continue to engage in meaningful dialogue.

She said in a tweet that the two countries deserved credit “for putting their political differences aside and daring to invite peace back into their midst.”

‘‘They took note of the commitment of the two countries to open a new era of peace, friendship and comprehensive cooperation as well as promote regional peace and security.’‘ Eritrea-Djibouti relations

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki met on July 9, 2018 in Asmara to sign a historic peace deal that ended decades of hostilities following a deadly border war.

In a statement that might be significant to Eritrea’s quest for the lifting of sanctions, the security council members also acknowledged the Jeddah meeting between Eritrea’s president Isaias Afwerki and Djibouti’s Ismail Omar Guelleh.

Gbowee who was named a joint laureate in 2011 along with Yemeni activist, Tawakul Karman and former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf also stressed the importance of the peace message being sold across parts of Africa where war is still raging.

“The members hope that this meeting will open a new chapter in the relations between Djibouti and Eritrea and encourage the two countries to continue to engage in meaningful dialogue,’‘ the members said.

Her full message read: “As we celebrate world peace day, it is my prayer that our world will continue to move one step closer to global peace. This day must be dedicated to Ethiopia and Eritrea, for putting their political differences aside and daring to invite peace back into their midst. #PeaceDay.”

Eritrea has been subjected to a U.N. arms embargo since 2009 over allegations that it provided support to militants in Somalia and for failing to pull troops out of disputed territory with Djibouti. Asmara denies accusations it backed Somali insurgents. The statement concluded by pledging to support countries in the Horn of Africa in their endeavours to resolve disputes.

The International Day of Peace, sometimes unofficially known as World Peace Day, is a United Nations-sanctioned holiday observed annually on 21 September. www.africanews.com The opinions expressed in these articles are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Embassy

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