Ashraf AboArafe
AN Address by H.E. Wilmer Omar Barrientos, Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to Egypt, on the 215th Anniversary of Independence and in Solemn Memory of the Victims of the June 24 Tragedy.
The Address
Your Excellency, Ambassador Khaled Azmi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Americas,
Your Excellency, Ambassador Haitham Hosni, Ambassador-Designate of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,
Distinguished Ambassadors,
Esteemed Chargés d’Affaires,
Honorable Members of the House of Representatives of Egypt,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good evening to you all.
“The cradle of freedom never surrenders.”
Dear brothers and sisters, we have not gathered today to celebrate in the traditional sense. Instead, we come with heavy hearts to pay a solemn tribute of reverence to an entire nation: the resilient people of Venezuela.
Today, on this fifth of July, we meet under circumstances vastly different from our usual festivities. We mark the 215th anniversary of the declaration of our independence—the founding document of our sovereignty. Yet, this year, our commemorations are draped in the quiet robes of mourning, reverence, and profound grief. Today, Venezuela remembers its dawn of freedom amidst the shadows of heartbreak.
Our thoughts and prayers fly across the oceans to the streets, neighborhoods, and homes of our homeland. Just days ago, on the twenty-fourth of June—even as we recalled the heroic epic of the Battle of Carabobo of 1821—the wrath of nature struck us in the form of a devastating double earthquake.
To the victims, to their grieving families, to the injured, and to those who have lost everything, we dedicate this evening. The geographical distances imposed upon us by our diplomatic duties will never stand as a barrier to shared grief. Today, every Venezuelan embassy and consulate across the globe stands as a sanctuary of solidarity, resilience, and national mourning.
The Crucible of History and Nature
This is not the first time that the forces of nature have collided with the destiny of our nation at a critical crossroads. The history of Venezuela has always been forged in the crucible of immense hardship.
Let us carry our memories back to those brave men and women of 1811. When they signed the Declaration of Independence, they did not do so in an era of peace or certainty. They stood defiantly against the most formidable empire of their time, enduring unimaginable risks, blockades, accusations, and a severe scarcity of resources.
Nature, too, put them to the test. We cannot help but recall the cataclysmic earthquake of Holy Thursday in 1812, which laid waste to Caracas, La Guaira, and other cities, claiming thousands of lives and leaving the infant Republic heavily wounded in its very foundations. Amidst that chaos, when the forces of the old order sought to weaponize the tragedy—spreading fear and claiming the disaster was “divine retribution”—the voice of the young Liberator, Simón Bolívar, echoed immortally, uttering words that resonate today with renewed, powerful truth:
“If Nature opposes us, we will fight against her and make her obey us.”
These words were not born of human vanity; they were the declaration of an unyielding spirit. They meant that the principles of liberty, unity, and national dignity rise far above any physical rubble. Though the First Republic fell, the soul of Venezuela was never broken. The Liberators rose from the ashes, scaled the formidable Andes, endured hunger, pestilence, and betrayal, and in the end, they triumphed.
Resilience Amidst the Storm of 2026
Distinguished guests, the year 2026 has tested us in ways our modern history has rarely seen. It has been a year fraught with complex economic hardships, severe geopolitical challenges, and pressures that have demanded the absolute utmost of our people’s endurance and cohesion. And just when we thought the burden had reached its peak, the earth shook violently on June 24th, leaving behind a wave of sorrow that still echoes deeply within the nation’s soul.
Yet, the institutional and human response of our Republic was instantaneous. Under the steadfast and resolute leadership of the Executive Vice President and Acting President, Ms. Delcy Rodríguez, the Venezuelan state mobilized all its strength without pause across the affected regions. From the very heart of the disaster, she has personally guided the colossal national reconstruction efforts with composure, precision, and iron will—prioritizing the care of the most vulnerable families and safeguarding the social peace we so desperately need in this dark hour.
Where buildings cracked and walls collapsed, the highest expressions of human solidarity emerged, coordinated by a government that never abandons its people. We witnessed neighbors risking everything to rescue neighbors; we saw our Bolivarian National Armed Forces and civil protection agencies standing on the frontlines of the crisis. Beside them, we felt the invaluable embrace of dozens of international rescue teams, and the moving mobilization of our diaspora sending aid from abroad.
The mourning we carry in our hearts today is not a mourning of despair. It is a majestic, solemn grief for a people who weep for their fallen, but who, under a clear and unified leadership, brace their resolve to rebuild what was lost.
A Bond Forged in Adversity
To the representatives of our sister nations here today: we extend our deepest gratitude for every message of condolence, every extended hand, and every gesture of technical and humanitarian cooperation.
In this regard, we wish to express our profound appreciation to the Government and the noble people of the Arab Republic of Egypt. You did not merely send messages of solidarity and humanitarian aid; you overwhelmed us with an abundance of genuine affection and actions that mirror the nobility and timeless grace of your high human values.
This spirit of peace, reciprocity, and mutual understanding is the very cornerstone upon which our Acting President, Ms. Delcy Rodríguez, has anchored our foreign policy in facing this crisis. In diplomacy, alliances may be signed on parchment, but true friendship between nations is crystallized and permanently etched during times of shared adversity. Venezuela will never forget those who extended a hand during this defining moment for our people.
Our mission today as diplomats has become more vital and sacred than ever. To be the voice of Venezuela abroad means to be the voice of resilience and truth for a nation that rises stronger after every trial.
The Dawning of a New Tomorrow
Ladies and gentlemen, the fifth of July, 1811, was an act of pure faith in the future. Today, on the fifth of July, 2026, we renew that faith—not from a place of prosperity, but from the depth of our grief and the unbreakable fortitude of our national unity.
Let us transform the pain of today into the strength that builds tomorrow. May the audacity of our Liberators be the beacon that guides us through the storms of the present. Earthquakes may shake our soil, but they will never shake the foundations of our independence.
Venezuela has endured long, dark nights, but every single time, she has greeted a new dawn. Thanks to the relentless efforts of those watching over the homeland, the firm guidance of our institutions, and the invaluable solidarity of sister governments and peoples worldwide, we will rebuild every broken stone. We will heal every wound, and we will immortalize the memory of those who left us by building the prosperous, dignified, and sovereign nation for which we have given our all.
Evoking the timeless thought of the Liberator, Simón Bolívar, we can truly say:
“He who sacrifices everything for the sake of his country loses nothing, but gains all that he consecrated to it.”
And I close with the eternal words of the poet of the Venezuelan people, Alí Primera:
“Those who die for life cannot be called dead.”
Ladies and gentlemen,
Long live Venezuela!
Long live the enduring friendship between our peoples!
