MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile calls for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela

The President of Chile Sebastián Piñera called on the international community to increase efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela. Piñera made the statement during a visit to the Organization of American States headquarters in Washington.

The president said that diplomatic pressure must be increased so that the Venezuelan people can recover their freedom and their democratic institutions. “I want to highlight the role played by the OAS and each of the democracy-loving countries to collaborate with those like the Venezuelan people who have lost democracy. It is a challenge that we have to assume with great conviction,” said the Chilean President.

For his part, the Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, highlighted the role of Chile as a defender of the principles and values of the hemispheric institution.

“Chile, in practice and not only in theory, is an essential support for a multilateralism that deals with and exists to address the concerns of people to defend their human rights and to defend human dignity.”

Meanwhile, the Chair of the Permanent Council and Ambassador of Costa Rica, Rita Hernández, reaffirmed the common values of Chile and the OAS. “Mr. President, we welcome you with admiration and appreciation in this Organization where our governments share the vision of strengthening democracy and promoting and protecting human rights and advancing integral development,” said the Council Chair.

In the framework of Piñera's visit to OAS, a cooperation agreement was signed to l strengthen collaboration on cyber-security, given the risks and challenges faced by governments with technological globalization.

The accord was signed by Chilean Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero and Secretary General Almagro, who recalled that the OAS has collaborated with Chile to strengthen its cybersecurity system.

President Piñera highlighted the importance of addressing the challenges of cybersecurity and described the agreement as an “extraordinarily urgent, useful and necessary” step.

“If we want to continue along this path that will allow us to improve our democracy and citizen participation, we have to make a huge effort to recover the time we have lost in terms of cybersecurity and to adapt to the new threats that it has posed to us,” said the Chilean president.

The agreement includes the development of strategies and policies for more reliable computer systems; the review of the institutional and legal frameworks in force in the country in order to identify opportunities for improvement; the creation of campaigns, policies and awareness plans that promote the creation of a cybersecurity culture; the search for cooperation opportunities in the field of cyber defense, particularly in the face of cyber incidents; and collaboration in the prevention and mitigation of risks and threats to critical infrastructures.