‘CELAC Has a Historical Second Momentum’, President Maduro Says

On the occasion of the 16th anniversary of the founding of the multimedia platform teleSur, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro offered an interview in which he thanked the TV station for its work in the construction of a genuinely Latin American and Caribbean identity and for its role in combating the hegemonic control of the Western media.

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Promoted by Commander Hugo Chavez, teleSur has been at the forefront of the struggle for a new Latin American and Caribbean identity by bringing the truth and the reality of social movements in the region.

Maduro welcomed the speech delivered by Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) at the 21st summit of Foreign Ministers from the Latina America and Caribbean Community (CELAC) held on Saturday.

He expressed that AMLO regained the CELAC founding ideal focused on the building of a common regional political and economic model opposing the interventionist and destabilizing role played by the Organization of American States (OAS).

Maduro noted that the CELAC faces a "historical second momentum" given the fact that it does not longer count on leftist government that supported its creation such as that of Ecuador's former President Rafael Correa (2007-2017), Bolivia's ex-President Evo Morales (2006-2019), Uruguay's former President Pepe Mujica (2010-2015), and Brazil's ex-Presidents Lula Da Silva (2003-2010) and Dilma Roussef (2011-2016).

"In the 21st century, Latin America must set itself the great goal of building, in the ideological and cultural diversity of our continent, a powerful bloc of forces that will present itself to the world with its capabilities and possibilities," Maduro stressed.

The Bolivarian President reaffirmed his support for the Cuban Revolution in the face of the strengthening of the U.S. blockade while noting that progressive movements and government have more "consciousness" about the U.S. inhumane policy.

"Cuba is being made to suffer...it's like a body that they put on a table and start torturing them and try various methods of torture...the Cuban people have been subjected to a collective social and economic experimentation and torture that is unparalleled," Maduro decried.

The Venezuelan President confirmed a new dialogue with all the opposition sectors under the auspices of the Norwegian government next month in Mexico to promote a country agenda and call for an end to the economic sanctions and the calls for interventionism.

He ruled out any divisive tendency in the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), noting that over 180,000 candidates presented their candidature for 23 governorships and 335 mayorships at stake in the upcoming August sub-national elections. 

Referring to bilateral relations with Colombia, he expressed no possibility of dialogue with President Ivan Duque since he has served as a "puppet" and "sponsor" of the aggression campaigns against Venezuela.

He called for caution on the prospects for improvement in political relations with a new government in Colombia resulting from the presidential elections next year since the communication campaign has blocked any chance of having normal relations with Venezuela.

Likewise, he welcomed the election of Pedro Castillo as Peru's new President while recalling the historical ties that unite both nations. 

The Bolivarian President concluded the interview by reaffirming his commitment to Commander Hugo Chavez's legacy and the integrationist processes in the region while stressing that he would always be a revolutionary.