Venezuela Takes Ivan Duque’s Blatant Xenophobia to the UN

The Bolivarian government of Venezuela has made a formal denouncement to the United Nations on the discriminatory statements made by Colombia’s President Ivan Duque about banning Venezuelan migrants from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, teleSUR reports.

“This is terrible discrimination, a burden of racism and hatred against Venezuelan migrants in Colombia. We cannot allow it, we have made our strong protest and complaint to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,” Venezuela’s Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said.

“Executive VP,  @drodriven2 We denounce with great vigor the terrible and barbaric declarations of Iván Duque affirming that they are not going to vaccinate Venezuelans in Colombia, a xenophobic decision that violates the rights of migrants.”

The Vice President emphasized that her government grants equal rights and access to COVID-19 treatment and to vaccination process for the 6 million Colombians in Venezuela. Authorities are continuing to negotiate access to the Russian Sputnik V vaccine using Venezuela’s liquid financial resources in Europe.

Despite attempts by Donald Trump’s administration to block Venezuela’s financial resources, and access to essential medicine, equipment, supplies and spare parts, the Bolivarian government maintains strategic relationships with numerous countries and has strengthened many of those relationship since the start of the pandemic.

China, delivered a ninth shipment of supplies on Tuesday, and joins Russia, Turkey, Iran and Cuba as key allies in trade, medicine and other areas of cooperation.

Likewise, Rodriguez demanded respect for Venezuelan migrants everywhere in the world and pointed out that in 2020, more than 200,000 Venezuelans have returned to their country thanks to the ongoing government initiative, the Return to the Homeland Plan.