Uruguay Defends Presence at Maduro's Inauguration in Caracas

Uruguay’s Foreign Minister, Rodolfo Nin Novoa said the Uruguayan chargé d’affaires at the embassy in Caracas, Jose Luis Remedi will attend the inauguration of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Thursday.

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Uruguay "has no competence to classify governments as legitimate or illegitimate," Novoa explained.

"We recognize states, and Venezuela is a state with which we maintain relations. We think that a policy of confrontation and isolation is not the most beneficial nor the best to find a solution to the problems of Venezuela, which we certainly know it has, but we try to help, not to confront," he added.

He stressed that Uruguay separates itself from the earlier Lima Group statement, endorsed by 13 of the 14 member states, with the exception of Mexico. The declaration issued on Friday urges Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro not to serve another term starting on Jan. 10 and insists the May 2018 elections were fraudulent,.

The Lima Group rejected the validity of the Venezuelan presidential elections in May that saw Maduro win a resounding victory over opposition candidate Henri Falcon. Venezuelan opposition groups refused to participate in the elections they deemed fraudulent.

"There were elections, the opposition did not appear and has its share of responsibility," Nin Novoa said.