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<p>I met the Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Samuel Moncada, in his previous role as
Minister for Europe on 26 October. We discussed the political, humanitarian and economic
situation and I shared my concern about the Venezuelan Government's response to protests.
In March, I hosted a delegation of Venezuelan MPs from the National Assembly and stressed
the importance of an independent and empowered legislature. This was followed by my
statement of 31 March echoing those views following a move by the Supreme Court to
wrest power from from the National Assembly.</p><p>During her visit to Caracas in
early May, the then Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Minister for Human Rights,
Baroness Anelay, met senior government and opposition figures to express our concerns
about the political situation and the need to respect human rights.</p><p>There have
been no recent discussions between the FCO and Department for International Development
about foreign aid for the citizens of Venezuela. However, on 12 May 2017, the UK joined
EU member states in issuing a statement calling on the Venezuelan Government to allow
access for external cooperation to meet the urgent needs of the population.</p>
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