The governments of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the United States and Uruguay, deeply concerned about the current situation in our sister nation of Venezuela, reiterate our commitment to the promotion and defense of democracy and human rights under the Charter of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Inter-American Democratic Charter.
We received the report of the OAS Secretary General on Venezuela, which we will evaluate carefully with a view to agreeing on an appropriate course of action for the organization. That said, we believe suspension of a member country, as set forth in the Inter-American Democratic Charter itself, is a last resort and, before that decision is made, diplomatic efforts must be exhausted within a reasonable period of time.
We reiterate that dialogue and negotiation are the best way to achieve lasting solutions to the challenges faced by the Venezuelan people.
In this regard, we call for full compliance with the agreements reached by the roundtable with the mediation of the former presidents and the Holy See and for progress in finding concrete solutions prompty in accordance with the provisions of the Venezuelan Constitution in order to ensure the effective separation of powers and respect for the rule of law and democratic institutions.
We consider it urgent for priority to be given to releasing political prisoners, recognizing the legitimacy of decisions by the National Assembly according to the Constitution, and establishing an electoral calendar that includes the postponed elections.
Lastly, the governments signing this declaration reiterate our readiness to collaborate with the people and government of Venezuela in any way that contributes to a solution to the political, economic and social challenges in that country and we will continue to follow the efforts made to address these challenges over the next few weeks in order to evaluate the next necessary steps.