Official statements from respective governments

Javier Milei Recognizes Edmundo González Urrutia as Elected President at Casa Rosada Meeting

Jan 4, 2025, 02:46 PM

Argentine President Javier Milei met with Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia at the Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires on Saturday. González Urrutia, who claims to have won the Venezuelan presidential election on July 28, 2024, against incumbent Nicolás Maduro, was recognized by the Argentine government as the elected president of Venezuela. The meeting occurred amid heightened tensions between Argentina and Venezuela, particularly following the detention of Argentine gendarme Nahuel Gallo in Venezuela. Hundreds of Venezuelans gathered in Plaza de Mayo to support González Urrutia, chanting slogans like 'President, president' and 'liberty.' After their meeting, Milei and González Urrutia, along with González's wife Mercedes, Milei's sister Karina, and Canciller Gerardo Werthein, greeted the crowd from the balcony of the Casa Rosada. González Urrutia's visit to Argentina marks the start of a tour that will also take him to Uruguay, Panama, and the Dominican Republic, as he seeks international support ahead of his planned return to Venezuela on January 10, the date set for Maduro's inauguration. González Urrutia, who has been in exile in Spain since September, expressed his commitment to the cause of political prisoners and those sheltered in the Argentine embassy in Caracas. He also mentioned a 100,000 dollar bounty placed on him by the Venezuelan government. González Urrutia, who previously served as a diplomat in Buenos Aires from 1998 to 2002, plans to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden during his tour. In Argentina, about 200,000 Venezuelans reside, with 94% of those eligible voting for González Urrutia in the last election.