(2) what discussions (a) he, (b) his officials and (c) UK representatives in Paris have had with the French Government on relations between Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia; and if he will make a statement;
(3) what discussions (a) he, (b) his officials and (c) UK representative staff have had with the European Commission on the EU response to relations between Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador; and if he will make a statement;
(4) what discussions (a) he, (b) his officials and (c) UK representatives in Washington D.C. have had with the US Government on relations between Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia; and if he will make a statement;
(5) what discussions (a) he, (b) his officials and (c) UK representatives in Brasilia have had with the Government of Brazil on relations between Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia; whether assistance was offered to Brazil and its South American partners to assist in resolving the regional situation; and if he will make a statement.
We are holding meetings with representatives of the three Governments concerned. We are urging all parties to show restraint and to follow a diplomatic process to ease current tensions. We fully supported the European Union declaration of 5 March, which commented
“The European Union is concerned about the growing tension and the deployment of armed forces between Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia. It urges all parties involved to show restraint and to avoid any further escalation of the current situation.
The European Union encourages all countries involved to seek, through dialogue, a political solution.”
We are monitoring events closely and are discussing the situation with partners in the European Union, the European Commission, the US and Latin America, including Brazil. We have not discussed specific offers of assistance to Brazil and its South American partners in resolving tensions.