Less words and more action is what we have urged the 13 countries of Latin America that have come together this week in Ecuador to address for the second time the immigration crisis in Venezuela. After two days of discussion, eight of these Governments -Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay – have approved a “plan of action” that looks to “strengthen actions aimed at facilitating the mobility of human venezuelan citizens in the territories of the signatory countries”.
unlike the call for the beginning of September, where he called on Venezuela to put the solution to their internal problems to resolve source the problem of the massive migration of venezuelans, the countries gathered, the most affected by the exodus, have decided to adopt a more dynamic position. “We need to articulate proposals and actions concrete, effective, innovative, to manage, obtain and channel the resources and the technical and financial support from multilateral agencies”, said the ecuadorian foreign minister, José Valencia, on the opening day. To the event attended also by international agencies, and financial, as well as representatives of the United Nations.
It has been emphasized, in addition, the need for international support starts to reach the territories with more pressure from migration, despite the fact that the landscape has changed, at least their figures. If Ecuador, the host of the second summit of human mobility, received two or three months ago around 4,000 people each day, that flow has been reduced to a thousand from the Government of Lenin Moreno decided to restrict the entry only to those who do carry valid identity documents and in force. In any case, the joint declaration leaves black and white the need for “a proper economic and social integration of the Mobilbahis venezuelan national” in accordance with “the possibilities and the legislation of each host country” and with the support of the organizations linked to the UN. It is, in short, to find solutions to regularise in each country to hundreds of thousands of venezuelans displaced persons who are at risk of falling into networks of exploitation and in obtaining resources to deal with the economic pressure that the massive exodus generated in each territory receiver.
The tone of the second meeting has been, however, more friendly than the appointment of September, when the migration flow was at its high point. The signatory states invited the Governments of Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, who participated in the two days to join the plan of action. The same thing they did with Brazil, Mexico and Panama, which already signed the earlier statement.
The ecuadorian foreign minister, in harmony with the environment, ratified this Friday in a speech more conciliatory than the one north that guides the decisions of Ecuador, it is the defence of national interests, stating that this includes “all people, all regions, regardless of social position or policy of the people”. A month ago, however, the Government of Moreno ordered the immediate expulsion of the ambassador of Venezuela in Quito as a response to some statements of Caracas that put in doubt the numbers of venezuelans received by Ecuador. The rubbing ended up with a hard statement of Ecuador that branded as “corrupt”, “sinister”, “murderer” and “liar” to the regime of Nicolas Maduro for its management of the diaspora in venezuela.
As expected and as it already happened in the first call, no representative of Caracas, went to the meeting of human mobility held this Thursday and Friday. But, this time, Bolivia was also absent. The ally of Venezuela yes go to the appointment in September but it was the only country that decided not to sign the joint statement -Dominican Republic, neither did and he apologized a disadvantage of the health of your delegate – in the demanded of the Government of Maduro that would allow humanitarian aid to enter its territory to serve its citizens.
