The daughter of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, Ana Corina Sosa, expressed her gratitude on Monday to the President of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, whom she described as a "key ally" for her mother and for Venezuela. This comes in the context of Machado's arrival in Oslo for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.
Sosa highlighted that Mulino has been "fundamental support, not just for my mom, but for all of Venezuela." She recalled that the Panamanian president recently received her "with open arms and great affection" at the Presidential Palace in Panama.
"We want to use this occasion to highlight the struggle we Venezuelans have been carrying for 26 years, and to serve as a reminder that our cause is universal," Sosa stated.
Machado's daughter also sent a message to the citizens of Panama: "I send you all my love and a hug... continue to support your Venezuelan brothers who are in Panama today, and celebrate this prize as if it were your own too." She added: "I sincerely want to thank him, not only on my behalf, but on behalf of all of Venezuela, for being a resolute and coherent voice in favor of Venezuelans who want to be free."
In turn, Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for "her tireless work in promoting democratic rights and her struggle for a peaceful transition," publicly thanked Mulino, as well as the presidents of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chaves Robles, and Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, for agreeing to accompany her.
"This prize is for Latin America," she expressed.
"It is necessary for the whole world to pay attention to Venezuela and for us to uphold the will of the majority of Venezuelans who want to live freely," Machado pointed out.
During the meeting, accompanied by the First Lady, Maricel Cohen de Mulino, the head of state reaffirmed his support for Machado.
"We are not going to back down an inch until the elected government of Venezuela takes power, because that is what the Venezuelan people wanted," he stated.
The president also added on social media: "We Panamanians know what it is like to face difficult times, we lived it in '89. I was there, and I know what it means for a people to remain firm."
The attendance of Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia, exiled in Spain and who faced Nicolás Maduro in the July 2024 elections, is also expected at the ceremony in Oslo on Wednesday.
"I am here accompanying her. What we are celebrating is a cause for freedom, human dignity, and the family," Mulino wrote.
