Mario Lubetkin, new Chancellor of Uruguay: “We do not recognize anyone in Venezuela: neither Maduro nor who said he triumphed”

Uruguay Turn in its position on Venezuela: Yangines orsi the new president, does not recognize Nicolás Maduro or Edmundo González Urrutia as heads of state.

“Neither Maduro, nor to the president who pointed to having triumphed according to the minutes he showed by internet, “says Mario Lubetkin, the New Uruguayan Foreign Minister, during an interview with El Mundo.

The previous government of Luis Lacalle Pou, head of a coalition of the Liberal Right Center, recognized as president González Urrutia, who on January 4 visited Montevideo and received an emphatic support from the then president, with a meeting that ended in the streets of the Uruguayan capital and a speech before Venezuelan exiles.

Orsi, leader of the Frente Amplio, the Uruguayan left, takes another way, while its chancellor gets excited about the role that the small South American country of 3.4 million inhabitants can play. “If there are Oslo’s peace agreements, why can’t those of Montevideo exist?”Says Lubetkin, who in the 70s, still adolescent, had to flee from the Uruguayan dictatorship towards Argentina and then exile in Italy.

What would those “Montevideo agreements” mean?

It is to respect our historical traditions, is to act with the best tradition in Uruguay. Uruguay has to be a factor that helps peace. Someone asked me if we are going to be intermediaries in the situation of Venezuela between government and opposition. Nobody asked us anything, but why this tradition of serenity of Uruguay cannot also be transmitted in peace scenarios?

Who is today, for the new Uruguayan government, the president of Venezuela?

We do not recognize the situation based on how the electoral process was given. That does not change. We have, yes, a problem: the relations between Uruguay and Venezuela are at zero, the embassies are almost closed. What do we do with the thousands of Uruguayans who are in Venezuela? Who protects them? Someone asked me if this means the restoration of diplomatic relations and my answer is no.

Luis Lacalle Pou, the previous president, recognized Edmundo González Urrutia as president of Venezuela. Is that?

We also have a dialogue with the opposition, we do not recognize anyone at this time: neither Maduro, nor to the president who pointed out to have triumphed according to the minutes he showed online.

Does Uruguay then believe that Venezuela does not have today president?

I would not say that because there is a reality that controls the country. It is not the situation of Somalia, where lack of control is total. No, there is precise control of state management, of the economy. That does not mean recognition. We do not recognize Maduro or recognize the one who points out to have triumphed in the elections. It is an ambiguous situation, but we are not the only country that has that position.

Is Maduro a dictator?

That was already defined by the president; He effectively raised the concept of dictatorship and that we cannot recognize a democratic reality when the electoral process did not live up to the guarantees that a democratic state can give us. We do not recognize it, but we must solve an objective problem that we have and we have to find the formulas.

I take it to another hot point from the continent, which is Cuba. Is there a dictatorship?

Cuba’s scenario is not the way in which we develop the democracy of our country. That does not mean that we do not want to have normal diplomatic relations and action scenarios as we will have it with other countries.

That the Argentine president, Javier Milei, has not attended the assumption of Orsi, what does it mean?

We were prepared, because President Fernández did not come five years ago and ten years ago President Macri did not come, due to the combination of other realities such as the beginning of parliamentary sessions.

The agreement between the European Union and Mercosur was a great achievement at the close of 2024, will it continue to move forward?

I believe that for the European Union this agreement is a fundamental element for the development of its future. This is not a Mercosur issue, it is a win-win. There are no cooperations in one direction. What we cannot leave is that Mercosur fractures.

You have said that you see opportunities with the United States of Trump.

Definitely! It is not that America First It means the destruction of the world. America First It is to defend the interests of the United States and we will try to defend the interests of Uruguayan citizens.