In Chile, the government ended the mission of its ambassador to Venezuela this Tuesday, January 7. Even if the Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs dismisses the idea of a break in diplomatic relations between Santiago and Caracas, they are becoming even more frosty.
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With our correspondent in Santiago, Naïla Derroisné
It had been several months since the Chilean ambassador to Venezuela had left Caracas, but he retained his functions. This is no longer the case today, the Chilean government has ended its mission considering that electoral fraud and the lack of openness of Venezuela ” prevents the development of an effective bilateral dialogue. »
This decision of Chile comes a few days before the inauguration of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, after proclaiming himself the winner of the last presidential election, the results of which are highly contested by many countries.
A position held for a short time
Since becoming president of Chile, President Gabriel Boric has repeatedly criticized Nicolás Maduro’s regime over respect for human rights. However, in 2023, to try to manage the migration crisis, he appointed an ambassador to settle in Caracas, it had been five years since this had happened.
But it didn’t last long: last July, after the presidential election in Venezuela, Gabriel Boric was among the first leaders to challenge the results of the vote. Furious, Nicolás Maduro then ordered the expulsion of the Chilean diplomatic teams, accusing them in particular of interference.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries are therefore at their lowest, but the Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs specifies that this is not a total break. The consulate continues its activities in the Caribbean country where there are still 12,000 Chilean citizens living.
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