The president of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, called this Wednesday for a "democratic transition" for Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Haiti on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, in an interview given to Martí Noticias where he also defended his recent visit to Caracas.
"What we want for Venezuela, which is this democratic transition, is the same as what we want for Nicaragua, the same as what we want for Cuba, and the same as what we want for Haiti, which are countries that have unfortunately been suffering for a long time," the president stated.
Peña emphasized that Paraguay does not intend to be a passive spectator in the face of these crises: "Paraguay wants to take an active role and not be merely an observer."
The Paraguayan president backed his offer of mediation by drawing on his country's own experience, which lived under the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner for 35 years, until 1989. "We believe that today there is an opportunity to carry out a transition."
"Paraguay experienced it 35 years ago, after a dictatorship that lasted 35 years, and we believe that we have all the commitment, tools, experience, knowledge, and will to help the Venezuelan people," he stated.
The statements come days after Peña traveled to Caracas on September 19 to meet with the interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, at the Miraflores Palace, marking the first high-level meeting between the two countries after nearly 20 months of diplomatic rupture.
Before the UN, Peña defended that trip, clarifying that he did not go to "validate a regime," but to take a "second step" towards a political solution that would allow Venezuela's reintegration into the international community and Mercosur. Both governments signed a joint statement to advance bilateral ties.
The president also commented on the case of María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader who has been unable to return to her country for months.
On Tuesday, they attempted to return three times in less than 24 hours from Panama — once by sea and twice by air — without success, according to their team, marking at least seven failed attempts to return to Venezuela since June 2026.
"There are fundamental elements. One is, of course, the release of all political prisoners, the opening of borders for return, including the case of María Corina," demanded Peña.
Regarding the celebration of elections in Venezuela, the Paraguayan president was unequivocal: "The call for elections is a very, very important step." He noted that the specific date depends on the internal dialogue within the Venezuelan National Assembly between the government and the opposition parties.
Paraguay has consistently maintained a critical stance toward the regimes of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua in international forums.
Voted against the annual resolution on the U.S. embargo on Cuba in October 2025 and repeated that vote in the extraordinary UN session in July 2026, along with the United States, Argentina, and Israel, among other countries.
"We must understand that this will be a complex process, where there are still open wounds, and we believe, I firmly believe, that there is a path forward and we need to progress along that path," concluded Peña, who also urged in his speech before the General Assembly that the next Secretary-General of the UN should come from Latin America and the Caribbean.
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