Four flightsmore than 30 hours of travela week with almost no sleep and the challenge of leaving behind 20 years of life in just 72 hours, were some of the circumstances that marked the departure of Argentine diplomats from Venezuela after the decision of the Government of Nicolás Maduro to expel them from the country.
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“The residence and the embassy had to be abandoned within 72 hours. A team of five diplomats, each with their families, a total of 14 people. Schools for the children had to be closed, leases that had to be terminated“cars that were to be sold,” said Andrés Mangiarotti, chargé d’affaires of the Argentine embassy in Caracas, in a conversation with the press after landing this Saturday at the Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Buenos Aires.
Maduro’s announcement came on Monday night, after a series of statements from the Argentine government and the decision of Javier Milei’s Executive not to recognize the results of the previous day’s elections that, according to the National Electoral Council (CNE), gave the re-election of the Chavista leader.
Although the climate before the election was “tense”, Mangiarotti acknowledged that they did not expect to have to “escape” the country in such a short time and stressed that some diplomats even had to leave their homes. where they had lived for the last 20 years.
Since the day after the elections on July 28, he added, the residence of the Argentine embassy was monitored by the Venezuelan police, suffered ““intimidation” and the power supply was cut off, and on at least one occasion police cars showed up during the night with armed and hooded men.
Argentine executive recognized Edmundo González as the true president
“They were quite tense days for the whole team. We were sleeping for three hours,” The diplomat described how, together with the rest of the embassy staff, he undertook a journey of more than 30 hours with stops on the Portuguese island of Madeira, another in Lisbon and a final one in Madrid, before leaving. heading to Buenos Aires.
While Maduro’s government also expelled Chile’s diplomatic personnel, Costa Rica Rica, Peru, Panama, Dominican Republic and Uruguay For its “interference-making actions and statements” regarding the elections, the Argentine case acquired particular relevance due to the concern about the situation of The six Venezuelans opposed to the Government who have been sheltered in the embassy residence since March.
“They fear for their lives, they feared that they would come for them,” explained Mangiarotti, who stressed that the asylum seekers “they still have immunity” after Brazil took control of the diplomatic headquarters on Thursday following the expulsion of Argentine personnel.
“The residence is under the custody of the Brazilian government and the regime should not attempt anything because it is protected by the inviolability of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” said Argentine Deputy Foreign Minister Leopoldo Sahores, who was there to receive the diplomats, in a conversation with reporters at the airport.
“I would like to highlight the professionalism, dedication, composure and presence of mind of the entire embassy team, which lived through very traumatic hours “starting with Sunday’s elections and these last 48 hours, which have been especially stressful,” said the vice-chancellor.
He also referred to the political situation in Venezuela and said that he hopes “that the clamor and demand for the Government to recognize the true electoral result of Sunday, July 28, will not diminish.”
“To the extent that the community international remains united“We are optimistic,” he added.
The Argentine government has not recognized Maduro’s victory, but has recognized the opposition candidate Edmundo González as the “legitimate winner and President-elect,” according to a message published yesterday by the foreign minister, Diana Mondino, on her account on the social network X.
EFE
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