Spain regrets that Venezuela is “very far from what was agreed” for free elections

The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, said this Tuesday that “unfortunately“Venezuela is not complying with the Barbados Agreement so that the country has free elections in the future, but there are indications that “they are very far from what was agreed”.

Albares spoke about this matter in the Spanish Senate, during the Government control session, and stated that “Unfortunately, we are not seeing compliance with the Barbados agreements as we would like.”

Then, Albares recounted some non-compliance: “Arrest orders issued to opposition and civil society figures, impediments for anyone who wants to compete freely with all transparency to be able to do so… They are very far from what was agreed upon and what Spain would like and what we work for”.

The minister recalled that he has met on multiple occasions with the Venezuelan Government and the opposition and added that he will do so again “with both whenever they ask for it.”

He also highlighted the Government’s willingness to have electoral observation missions to Venezuela from different institutions, such as the United Nations, the Carter Center and the European Union.

“The European Union sanctions regime that Spain supports remains in force; sanctions are not an end in themselves, but the conditions in the country in which they are applied have to change and, unfortunately, those conditions are not yet in place“, he asserted.

Albares recalled that the position of the Government of Spain “It is very clear and it is public”: “We want free, competitive, transparent elections, in which anyone who wants to participate, including María Corina, can participate; I have said that in the Foreign Affairs Commission of Congress, in the Foreign Affairs Council of Brussels and before the public media.”