Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has discussed the political and economic situation in Venezuela with the Secretary General of the Organisation of American States.

We share the concerns of the international community about the deteriorating political and economic situation in Venezuela. Economic mismanagement is producing inflation and shortages of basic goods, with a significant impact upon ordinary Venezuelans. Venezuela became an FCO Human Rights Priority Country in 2016. President Maduro has requested United Nations assistance to boost medical supplies.

The Organisation of American States (OAS) has called for the OAS Democratic Charter to be invoked unless the Venezuelan Government calls elections and releases political prisoners. The UNASUR- supported dialogue between the Government and opposition has stalled.

I met the previous Venezuelan Minister for Europe, Samuel Moncada at the EU-CELAC Foreign Minister's meeting on 26 October and discussed humanitarian issues and the economic situation. At that meeting I also raised the deteriorating situation in Venezuela with several of my Latin American and European counterparts. On 20 March I met a delegation of Venezuelan MPs from the National Assembly to discuss the situation and to highlight our support for an independent and empowered Parliament. The EU Foreign Affairs Committee last discussed Venezuela on 18 July, which was attended by the Foreign Secretary.