By Laura Barros |
Asunción, (EFE).- The Executive that the president-elect of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, will lead from next August will maintain its relationship with Taiwan and support for Ukraine “invariable”, anticipated its future chancellor, Rubén Ramírez, who ratified the decision of the future president to reopen the embassy in Caracas and to seek a rapprochement with China.
“The government of President Peña is extremely committed to an invariable relationship with Taiwan, from the point of view of recognition of that country. At the diplomatic level, they are going to continue our relations,” said Ramírez, an economist and former foreign minister who will lead Paraguayan diplomacy during the Peña government.
In this context, he admitted that there will also be an opening to contact with China, but “without conditionalities or as a game of balance, of negotiation.” in establishing diplomatic or consular or commercial relations”, he affirmed.
If diplomatic or consular channels were not possible, Ramírez advanced that the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) – the economic bloc made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay – could serve as a platform for a rapprochement with the Asian giant.
“We have no objection to a Mercosur-China agreement, because all the legal regulatory conditions exist, given that we are part of the World Trade Organization, that in no way could the progress of that agreement be impeded and we are fully in line with those negotiations, if they take place,” he added.
Democracy in Venezuela
Ramírez also ratified the announcement made by Peña, who won the elections on April 30, to resume diplomatic relations with Venezuela, which his predecessor, Mario Abdo Benítez, broke off in January 2019.
“President Santiago Peña’s decision is basically related to the fact that we consider that it was a mistake to close our representation in Caracas.
It was a mistake, because we do not have direct information and the relationship between the countries, not only at the government level, is with the societies”, he argued.
In this sense, he considered that his country “can contribute in an important and committed way to the strengthening of democracy in Venezuela, with free and transparent elections.”
“And the only way to do it is by being in the territory, is by having a representation that allows us to contribute fairly with these values and principles that we promote at a global and continental level,” he said.
Regarding the debt of some 300 million dollars that Caracas claims from Asunción for the fuels that the state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) sold to Petróleos Paraguayos (Petropar) and which dates from 2009, Ramírez admitted that there are “divergences” in as to “the figures and amounts”.
“Paraguay is a country that has never dishonored its debt and we are going to honor it and we are going to pay it, but in the fair terms and conditions that exist,” he admitted, although he pointed out that this issue “is not a priority” on the agenda with Venezuela.
Dialogue between Ukraine and Russia
Consulted on Ukraine, he assured that Paraguay’s position “is unchanged regarding the situation that arises in Russia’s war against Ukraine”. Asunción has backed Kiev, recalling that Paraguay itself suffered the invasion of three powers (Argentina, Brazil and Uruiguay) in the so-called Triple Alliance War (1864-1869), the bloodiest contest in South America.
“But, at the same time – added Ramírez – we encourage dialogue for peace, because we agree there with Brazil that the only way to resolve this situation is through dialogue and through diplomatic channels.”