Caracas, May 19, 2015 (venezuelanalysis.com) -
Palestinian Authority (PA) Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki arrived in
Caracas yesterday for bilateral talks with his Venezuelan counterpart
Delcy Rodriguez.
Speaking at a press conference marking the diplomat's first
official visit to the country on Tuesday morning, al-Maliki noted that
Venezuela "is Palestine's most important ally".
"It's a country that gives without asking for anything in return," he added.
Rodriguez responded by reaffirming her nation's solidarity with
Palestine, asserting that Venezuela is "ready at any moment to throw
itself into the battle for [Palestinian] independence and sovereignty."
Under the leadership of the late former president Hugo Chávez and
his successor Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela has emerged as one of the most
vocal champions of Palestine solidarity worldwide.
In recent years, the South American nation has led the diplomatic
charge against Israeli occupation and apartheid as well as forged close
diplomatic and economic ties with the Palestinian Authority, including
oil deals, emergency aid, and scholarships for Palestinian medical
students.
Al-Maliki's visit also coincides with period of heightened tensions between Venezuela and Spain
over an April 14 resolution approved by the Spanish parliament calling
for the release of jailed far right leaders it alleges to be "political
prisoners".
At the behest of Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel
García-Margallo, the Palestinian diplomat agreed to help mediate between
the two countries, vowing to do "everything possible" in order to
"bring Venezuela and Spain closer together".
As part of his visit, the PA diplomatic chief will additionally
convene the first ever meeting of Palestinian ambassadors from
throughout South America which will take place today and tomorrow.
The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority exercises civil and
security control over a series of non-contiguous zones comprising 18% of
the West Bank, while the remainder remains under full Israeli military
jurisdiction as part of the country's 48 year running occupation of
Palestinian land.
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