Sept 23 (Reuters) – Paraguay’s President Santiago Pena called for Venezuela’s reintegration into the South American trade bloc Mercosur on Wednesday, speaking to world leaders at the UN General Assembly.
Venezuela has been indefinitely suspended as a member of Mercosur, which comprises some of South America’s biggest economies, including Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Chile’s President Jose Antonio Kast, whose country is an associate member of the bloc, is scheduled to meet with Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez on the sidelines of the General Assembly on Thursday.
In his speech, Pena also said he wants to see Venezuela undergo a genuine and lasting democratic transition.
“We want a transition with strong institutions, security, a thriving economy, and a nation once again integrated into the international community, and specifically, integrated into Mercosur.”
Pena visited Caracas before arriving in New York for the General Assembly, reopening dialogue between the two countries, whose diplomatic relations had been severed.
Mercosur has no provision for expulsion. It had suspended Venezuela in 2017 for not complying with the bloc’s regulations, and toughened its stance following the arrest of several opposition leaders under ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
(Reporting by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez; Editing by Anthony Esposito and Lucinda Elliott)
