U.S. determined to see Venezuela return to its "democratic course"

The United States is determined to see Venezuela “return to a democratic course that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people,” according to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who spoke this Friday about the South American country during a press conference in the Dominican Republic’s capital of Santo Domingo.

In a press conference with Dominican President Luis Abinader, Blinken highlighted that “putting Venezuela on a democratic trajectory is of utmost importance, first of all for the Venezuelan people,” but also for the entire Western Hemisphere and for other countries that have expressed its concern about the situation in the South American country, as reported by the EFE Spanish language news agency.

“We are very concerned about the trajectory in Venezuela after the elections, where the will of the people could not have been clearer. Unfortunately that will and their votes have not been reflected in what has happened since then,” said Blinken, referring to the July 28 Venezuelan presidential elections.

En su primera visita a la República Dominicana, el Secretario de Estado, Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken), y el presidente Luis Abinader (@luisabinader) se reunieron para discutir sobre el refuerzo en la seguridad regional y la promoción de valores democráticos. Este encuentro es un… pic.twitter.com/tR51XSU5KJ

— EmbajadaUSAenRD (@EmbajadaUSAenRD) September 6, 2024

The Venezuelan National Electoral Council (CNE) declared communist dictator Nicolás Maduro as the winner, a result which has been fiercely challenged by the opposition and numerous countries.

Abinader also shared his concerns, saying that the Dominican Republic will continue to work with the international community and other countries to “defend democracy and the desire of the Venezuelan people,” and that his government will continue to support resolutions passed in support of the opposition from the Organization of American States (OAS).

Abinader, who also expressed his concern about the recent Venezuelan arrest warrant against opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia, advocated for “a hemispheric response,” which he suggested should be coordinated with the United Nations.

The Dominican Republic recently allowed the U.S. to seize an official Maduro jet that was on the Caribbean island since last May for maintenance issues, a move which Washington claimed was within the framework of the sanctions applied to Caracas.

“If we find that there have been violations we will act, that is what we did and that is what we will continue to do (...) We have enforced our sanctions and we will continue to do so when appropriate,” Blinken said in a statement addressing the issue.

On his first visit to the Dominican Republic, Blinken and Abinader met to discuss strengthening regional security and promoting democratic values.

“This meeting is a testimony of the solid alliance between our nations and the mutual commitment to a safer and more democratic future,” the Dominican based U.S. embassy wrote on its X account.