High Representative / Vice-President Josep Borrell spoke today with the Foreign Minister of Chile, Teodoro Ribera.

 Ahead of the forthcoming meeting of the Lima Group in Canada, they discussed the situation in Venezuela. They agreed on the urgency of finding a negotiated political solution between the two parties that is conducive to legislative and presidential elections.

They also discussed the situation that Chile has experienced in the past months with a broad civic mobilisation marked by violent incidents. High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell expressed his concern about the disproportionate response shown by the police and the violence of some groups participating in the demonstrations.

He also recognised the steps already taken by the government to acknowledge and address the situation, including its openness towards an investigation both internally and by international human rights bodies.

 Both agreed to continue developing the excellent bilateral relations between the European Union and Chile. More specifically, they agreed to explore the possibilities for exchanging best practice on police training on actions and protocols aiming at restoring public order in full respect of human rights.