Despite not recognizing the legitimacy of the Ortega government, the United States Executive will keep its Embassy in Nicaragua open.
This Tuesday the United States Department of State (in charge of international relations) demanded the release of prisoners opposed to the Nicaraguan Government as a “first step” to initiate a possible dialogue with President Daniel Ortega, whom he defined as a “Repressive autocrat”.
“Our focus will continue to be the establishment of democracy in Nicaragua. The release of political prisoners is very important and would be a first concrete step,” Emily Mendrala, Deputy Under Secretary of State for the Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs, responded to questions from the journalists.
The official said that Ortega, who was sworn in for a fifth term on Monday, “does not have the democratic mandate to govern,” since the November elections were a “mock electoral”.
He also demanded the Nicaraguan president the “immediate and unconditional release of those who have been unjustly imprisoned” and warned that the United States will use “the diplomatic and economic tools” at its disposal to “support the Nicaraguan people.”
Despite not recognizing the legitimacy of the Ortega government, the United States Executive will keep its Embassy in Nicaragua open because it considers that its “presence” in the country “is very important.”
“We have an Embassy in Managua and its operation is very important for the exchange we have with the Nicaraguan people and the services it provides, so we are going to maintain it,” said Mendrala.
Ortega began his fifth, fourth consecutive and second term together with his wife, Rosario Murillo, as vice president on Monday, with new sanctions from the United States and the European Union (EU) against relatives and friends of the president.
Ortega and Murillo were sworn in for five more years in an official ceremony held in the presence of the presidents of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel; from Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and from Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández; as well as representatives from China, Iran and Russia, among others.
Mendrala said Tuesday that the Ortega government’s approach to China “precipitates Nicaragua into authoritarianism.”
During his speech, the 76-year-old former Sandinista guerrilla charged against the United States and the EU, calling them “criminal colonialists and slaveholders.” (I)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
