WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott released the following statement after a call with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei. During their call, Senator Scott and President Giammattei discussed the shared commitment between the United States and Guatemala to support democracy and freedom in Latin America. Last week, during the 52nd General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) held in Lima, Peru, Guatemala was one of the few countries that voted against a motion to remove the envoy of Juan Guaidó, the democratically-elected leader of Venezuela, from the Regional Forum for Political and Economic Issues.

Senator Rick Scott said, “It was great to speak with President Giammattei today and thank him for standing up for the legitimate President of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó, and against the brutally oppressive Maduro dictatorship. The leaders of freedom-loving countries across the world must unite and work together in defense of human rights, freedom and democracy and stand with the people of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua that are being oppressed and are suffering at the hands of Castro, Díaz-Canel, Maduro and Ortega. It is incredibly disappointing to see so many members of the OAS fail to stand for democratic values and the oppressed Venezuelan people. I am grateful that the government of Guatemala showed courage and its commitment to freedom in supporting Juan Guaidó, and I look forward to continuing to work with President Giammattei to support democracy throughout Latin America.”

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