CARICOM delegation to Uruguay discuss way forward on Venezuela

The Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Member States, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, and members of his high-level delegation to Montevideo, Uruguay met with the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini, yesterday, Thursday, February 7th, 2019.

The Caribbean delegation's conversation with the EU's Foreign Policy Chief came a day after CARICOM, Mexico and Uruguay, following a meeting in Montevideo, released details of their plan to resolve Venezuela's political crisis. The plan, referred to as the Montevideo Mechanism, entails a four-part approach, which comprises dialogue, negotiation, commitments and implementation phases.

Yesterday, Ms. Mogherini discussed with CARICOM's Chairman, the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, and his fellow Prime Ministers, the Honourable Mia Mottley (Barbados) and Dr. the Honourable Keith Rowley (Trinidad and Tobago), an upcoming technical mission to Venezuela.

Uruguay's Director General for Political Affairs, Ambassador H.E. Raúl Pollak Giampietro, and the country's Undersecretary of Foreign Relations, Ambassador H.E. Ariel Bergamino also met with Prime Minister Harris and his delegation. They discussed the way forward on the Venezuela matter, as well as the details of the Montevideo Mechanism.

On Wednesday, in a statement outlining the Montevideo Mechanism, the governments of Mexico, Uruguay and CARICOM said that, in response to the call of the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, they "agree that the most appropriate way to address the complex situation that prevails in Venezuela is through dialogue for a negotiation, from a position of respect for International Law and Human Rights."

CARICOM, Mexico and Uruguay also reiterated their decision to "help restore the tranquility of the Venezuelan people through dialogue and peace."

The Chairman of the Caribbean Community said in an interview last week that, "Only peace provides the framework in which we can go about our lives in a constructive way."

Chairman Harris added: "The basis of that will come through negotiation... You have to invest in it for it to happen and that is what we are doing, and that is what diplomacy is about – investing time to reach rational minds in coming up with a solution – and we have to have the stick-to-itiveness to be able to carry it to the end."