The leader made the statements during his participation in the World Meeting: Validity of the Bolivarian Thought of Commander Chávez in the XXI Century, held at the Teresa Carreño Theater in Caracas.
Padrino López recalled the historical events that led Chávez to rise up against the government of Carlos Andrés Pérez on February 4, 1992, and said that he was the spearhead of the awakening of the conscience of the people that allowed this rebellious soldier to enter the national political life to transform the nation.
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Minister Padrino López said that Commander Chávez could end poverty and change people's thinking: "The revolution leader was able to outline a national strategy based on important issues that are still in force today thanks to his leadership.
He recalled that after the coup d'état in 2002, Chávez called for unity beyond the political forces; he reorganized the armed forces and managed to strengthen the military apparatus that was still dispersed, without direction, divided, demoralized, in a social anomy or lacking interest in public affairs, "Chávez achieved this reunification and achieved the cohesion of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) and its incorporation in the affairs of the nation.
Likewise, he expressed that Commander Chávez called for the civil-military union and made the soldier, with all his preparation and discipline, complement and integrate himself in the tasks of the communities, of the countryside, in the functions of the daily life of the people.
In this sense, Minister Padrino López said that "it is amazing to see how the Venezuelan people love their country and express it by enlisting in the military by the millions."
The Defense Minister emphasized that despite all the war that Venezuela has faced, the FANB remains loyal to Chávez, to his thought, we have been loyal to his legacy, to the homeland, "the militaries of Latin America must see themselves in the mirror of the phenomenon that has taken place in the FANB and how Chávez's contributions have allowed us to defend sovereignty, the people and the revolution."