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Ecuador announces exit from ALBA due to Venezuelan crisis
Posted On 24 Aug 2018
Ecuadornews:
Ecuador announced its departure from the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) in response to the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela and the consequent exodus of Venezuelans that, in their opinion, requires “a solution of all nations” in the region.
“Ecuador will not continue its participation in the ALBA,” Foreign Minister Jose Valencia announced in an appearance before the media in which he explained that his country wants to “reinforce” the search for a solution to the Venezuelan problem.
He explained that Ecuador maintains “a principled position” and that it does not align with those of “any particular group in the proposal that the problem of Venezuelans be solved among them, within the democratic framework.”
But he exposed the notorious frustration of his country “for the lack of political will, first of all, by the Government of Venezuela to open the doors to a democratic solution.”
ALBA was created in 2004 as a mechanism for the cooperation of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean based on solidarity and complementarity of national economies, in an alternative to the Free Trade Area for the Americas (FTAA) promoted in its moment for the United States.
With Venezuela in the lead, Ecuador’s membership of this organization began to be questioned since the arrival of Lenin Moreno in May 2017, and in political and diplomatic circles it was said that it was a matter of time before leave
The decision was announced by the chancellor at a meeting of several Ecuadorian ministers with media at the Carondelet Palace, headquarters of the Presidency, where the problem of the massive flow of Venezuelans who have arrived in the country was addressed.
Valencia stressed that this is a problem that cannot “be faced by a country individually”, but requires “a response from all the nations of the region”, and that Ecuador’s exit from ALBA is to promote that solution.
“The departure of Venezuelan citizens from their country is the result of Venezuela’s economic and political crisis. The repercussions are regional, however, Ecuador will always be in solidarity, “he said, describing the Venezuelan government’s action as” inhumane “because it allowed millions of people to leave the country as a result of a political, economic and social crisis. (I)
