CANCUN, Mexico, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Member nations of the Organization of American States (OAS) gathered on Monday in the Mexican resort of Cancun, with Venezuela topping the agenda of the meeting.
As part of the 47th General Assembly of the hemispheric bloc, which gathers 35 countries in North, South and Central America and the Caribbean, regional foreign affairs ministers were set to discuss Venezuela's political crisis, though OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro said the talks will not be conclusive.
While the bloc will seek consensus in addressing the crisis, "the process is not going to conclude today, even if there is a resolution, there is a strong crisis that is going to continue," Almagro said at a press conference prior to the start of talks on Monday.
The talks follow up on a May 31 OAS ministerial meeting on Venezuela in Washington, the United States, that was suspended after failing to reach a consensus.
Venezuela has repeatedly condemned Almagro's interference in its domestic affairs, especially his campaign to apply the bloc's so-called democratic charter against the government for alleged democratic violations.
In fact, Venezuela has officially quit the OAS, but exiting the bloc entails a three-year process that will take until 2019 to complete.
In an interview with state-run Venezolana de Television (VTV), Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said in Cancun for the general assembly that she submitted a complaint to the hemispheric body against Almagro's "illegal, deviant (and) unbalanced behavior."
Rodriguez said she was there to "defend" her country against U.S.-led efforts to intervene in Venezuela and strengthen the conservative opposition movement against the Venezuelan government.
Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said at the press conference he hoped the gathering serves as a "true forum for dialogue and consensus."
"Mexico is a country that believes in multilateralism. We believe that formal forums for dialogue between nations are undoubtedly the best mechanism to overcome differences, reach accords and build a better world," said Videgaray.
This year's OAS assembly is under the banner of "Strengthening Dialogue and Concerted Action for Prosperity."
