The relations between Venezuela and Cuba will be reviewed by the government of the South American nation if opposition candidate Edmundo González wins the upcoming presidential elections.
"We need to review relations with Cuba because it's not just about the SAIME (Automated Migratory Identification and Foreign Affairs Service), the issue of ports and airports, the process of national identification, or intelligence services; there is a wide range of cooperation that must be reassessed in light of the current situation," González said in an interview with Voice of America.
The words of Nicolás Maduro's challenger, the current president who is seeking re-election for a second time with the support of the Cuban regime's intelligence services, should raise concerns among the leaders of the Island.
However, Edmundo González stated that the relations of his country, under his hypothetical leadership, will be with all the nations of the planet.
"We are going to establish relations with all countries in the world, based on peace and respect and in the interest of our country; not based on ideological interests," he assured, leaving the door open for dialogue with authoritarian governments in the region, such as Cuba and Nicaragua, and even beyond those boundaries.
He also mentioned a process of transition between the current government and his own, should the opposition band win, and specified about "offering all the guarantees we need to ensure that there is a peaceful and secure transition here."
The candidate, along with his team, expressed that they are "very confident that we will bring about a profound change in Venezuela, that we will reinstitute the country, recover democracy, and establish a government for everyone, where everyone belongs. May the reunion of Venezuelans and the return of all Venezuelans living abroad come to pass."
Edmundo González was designated as the unified candidate of the Venezuelan opposition just a month ago, following the disqualification of María Corina Machado, a prominent figure in politics, who is unable to hold public office for 15 years due to a ruling by the Supreme Court in January.
Nonetheless, Machado has supported the candidate and has even participated in campaign activities when he could not be present himself.
Meanwhile, the Organization of American States (OAS) recently presented the seventh annual report from the Casla Institute, which is tasked with sharing with Latin America the lessons in democracy and economics that can be drawn from the transformation of former communist countries in Eastern Europe.
This study, conducted by independent international experts, denounces Cuban advisory roles within Venezuela's repressive machinery and calls on the International Criminal Court to investigate its involvement and participation in the commission of crimes against humanity in Venezuela.
The results of these investigations come at a time when both regimes have been frequently approaching each other. The first instance occurred during Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel's visit to Venezuela in connection with the summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA).
The second instance occurred during an official visit to the island by Venezuelan Chancellor Yvan Gil Pinto, to whom he assured that Cuba will maintain "cooperation with Venezuela as long as you need it."
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