Once known as the “Pearl of the Caribbean”, the former Venezuelan tourist hot spot Margarita fell on hard times amid the country’s economic crisis with trash on streets, scarcities of food and water, rampant crime and a dwindling number of foreign visitors.
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Vice President Hamid Ansari arrived here today to attend the 17th NAM Summit during which India is expected to raise its concerns over terrorism besides deliberating on key issues like United Nations reform, climate change and nuclear disarmament.
In a direct attack on the United States, Venezuela’s President Maduro called upon NAM to “reject the decree of Barack Obama that Venezuela is a threat to US”, and reiterated that his country was peace loving and was facing a “global attack”.
Falling oil prices have triggered an economic crisis in Venezuela, causing food shortages, outbreaks of looting and riots.
Mr. Ansari said the movement must also ensure that all existing structures that are the building blocks of UN’s Global Counter Terrorism Strategy functioned in a non-partisan and professional manner.
It is considered as not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc.
Prime Ministers P.V. Narasimha Rao in 1992 (Jakarta) and 1995 (Colombia), Atal Behari Vajpayee in 1998 (Durban) and 2003 (Kuala Lumpur), and Manmohan Singh in 2006 (Havana), 2009 (Sharm el-Sheikh) and 2012 (Tehran) all attended NAM summits.
With 120 member states, the NAM is the second largest worldwide body after the United Nations.
“Millions of dollars of Venezuelans’ money spent for the government’s ego”, said opposition leader Henrique Capriles.
But the low turnout after months of shuttle diplomacy handing out invitations is likely to embolden Maduro’s opponents, who are pushing for a recall referendum to remove him from office before his term ends in 2019. “There…is an attempt to recolonize the policy, the economy, the culture of our country…and for four years of my presidency we have suffered many attacks of this nature”.
He asked whether an organisation designed in 1945 with just 51 member states, is really appropriate to serve the needs of an worldwide community that comprises 193 independent sovereign states facing the challenges of 21st century.
Margarita was once known as the ‘Pearl of the Caribbean, ‘ a tourist hub that drew visitors from around the world, but hotel occupancy is under half what it was previous year and some islanders recently humiliated Maduro by chasing him in a poor neighborhood, banging pots and pans.
“Obviously we are going to use this meeting to build consensus”, Del Pino told reporters, saying leaders from OPEC nations from the Gulf to Ecuador would be present at the 120-nation bloc’s meeting on Margarita island.
The delegation led by Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov is representing Azerbaijan in the summit.
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A draft seen by Reuters showed it would express solidarity with Maduro.
