Cultural Diplomacy: A Powerful Tool of International Politics

Culture and international development have had a long, reciprocal and interdependent relationship throughout history, and even more so in recent years, highlighted the Vice Minister for Africa of the Ministry of People's Power for Foreign Affairs, Yuri Pimentel, during the Forum “Cultural Diplomacy and Celebration of our Afro-descendant Heritage”, which took place this Friday in the “Andrés Eloy Blanco” hall of the Municipal Palace of Caracas.

In his remarks, Pimentel asserted that cultural diplomacy is a powerful strategic tool for building strong international relations based on mutual understanding, cooperation, and respect between cultures. “Its main objective is to be a bridge of trust and promote a positive image of nations on the international stage,” he stated.

The Venezuelan diplomat asserted that during the mandate of Commander Hugo Chávez Frías, beginning in 1999, "the diplomacy of the peoples was deepened as the cornerstone of Venezuelan foreign policy, based on the principles of solidarity, cooperation and complementarity between countries, and focused on the well-being of the peoples, addressing their needs and aspirations."

For her part, the president of the Simón Bolívar Institute for Peace and Solidarity among Peoples (ISB), Blanca Eekhout, commented that the initiative of this forum is to pay tribute to Africa and to the cultural traditions of Venezuela that are part of humanity's heritage and have Afro roots.

“Our country is building an anti-hegemonic culture as a space for dialogue, peace and life,” he stated.

The event was attended by the diplomatic corps accredited in Venezuela, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and representatives of the ISB, who paid tribute and placed a floral offering before the statue of the Liberator Simón Bolívar, in the main square that bears his name in Caracas.

F:mppre