Romania backs swift return to democracy in Venezuela

The decision to bring Nicolás Maduro before justice could halt the growth of the scourge of drug trafficking, restore to Venezuelans the chance for a prosperous future, and also bring the international community back to the diplomatic table to reaffirm and protect international rules, Foreign Minister of Romania Oana Țoiu said on Saturday.

Romania’s top diplomat noted that she had discussed the situation in Venezuela together with partners in the European Union, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

“We are in close coordination with our partners in the European Union regarding the situation in Venezuela and discussed today alignment on a joint statement in preparation for the UN Security Council. (…) We are particularly concerned about developments in Venezuela, a country where a small but significant community with Romanian roots lives. Our first priority is the safety of Romanian citizens in that country. Romania’s diplomatic and consular missions in Latin America are prepared to provide assistance if needed, alongside the EU’s permanent mission,” Oana Țoiu wrote on Facebook.

She added that a process of mutual information-sharing and consular assistance among EU member states has been launched.

“We call for restraint and responsibility from the authorities and support the initiation, as soon as possible, of steps toward a return to democracy, a constant demand expressed by Venezuelan citizens. Venezuelan opposition leader and recent Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado was forced by the Maduro regime to live in hiding because the dictator feared democracy and the will of the Venezuelan people. However, brutal regimes cannot continue indefinitely. We fully share the priority of combating drug trafficking and organized crime, which pose a significant threat to our common security,” the foreign minister added.

Oana Țoiu recalled that the European Union, with Romania’s participation, has imposed “successive sanctions regimes against the undemocratic regime in Caracas, including following the deeply flawed presidential elections of July 2024,” and that neither the EU nor Romania recognizes Nicolás Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela.