Representatives from 22 Latin American countries participated in a massive gathering outside the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas yesterday to show support for the Venezuelan people and their reelected president, Hugo Chávez.

Bolivian President Evo Morales said: “Hugo Chávez is in the conscience of all Bolivians… we are all anxious for our Hugo Chávez to come back and lead the struggle in favor of the peoples of Latin America.”

“Our unity and anti-imperialist consciousness is the best gift we can give Hugo Chávez,” Morales said, adding “we should be more firm than ever, together with other peoples that are fighting for their liberation.”

Argentina’s foreign minister, Héctor Timerman, said that President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner will travel to Havana to visit Chávez, where he is recovering after surgery. He said that the people of Argentina would accompany the Venezuelan leader “always, just as you have always been by our side.

The foreign minister of Ecuador, Ricardo Patiño, offered a greeting to the Venezuelan people, saying “We renew our admiration for the process that you are carrying out… Latin America prays for you, President Chávez, and awaits your return.”

Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo said in the name of his people that the Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution cannot be reversed because it is in the hands of the people.

“Chávez doesn’t just belong to Venezuela, he belongs to Argentina, El Salvador, the Caribbean. Chavez is ours!” said President Lugo.

The prime minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, said that he had come to Venezuela “to offer our solidarity and support, not just within Venezuela, but beyond it as well… Long live Chávez! Long live the Revolution! While our friend struggles for his life, I am here supporting the Revolution. You can count on Dominica and the Caribbean as trusted friends.”

Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe offered his words “in the name of every Haitian… Our hope is that Chávez returns soon, that he can be here for Venezuela and for the Caribbean. Thank you, Venezuela! It is an honor and a pleasure to participate in this historic moment for Venezuela.”

Cuban Vice President Miguel Díaz Canel also spoke, and expressed his firm belief that “any attack against Venezuela will be interpereted as if it were an attack on our own national territory.”

He said that the Bolivarian Government and the Venezuelan people “will be capable of conserving the work of their leader in this process; the unity of revolutionary forces will allow us to continue our battle.”

Presidential Press Office/ Press-Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S./ January 11, 2013