(Washington D.C.) – Today, Congressman Sires, Chairman ofvthe Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Civilian Security, and Trade, released the following statement in response to the International Red Cross reporting that it will be allowed to deliver humanitarian aid inside Venezuela:

”I welcome the news that the Red Cross will be able to deliver aid to Venezuelans and strongly support the continued efforts of many courageous humanitarian organizations to help those who are in desperate need of assistance. I commend Interim President Juan Guaidó and the Lima Group for building immense pressure on the Madura regime to enable this positive step forward.

We must also remember the thousands of lives that have been lost due to the humanitarian catastrophe caused by Nicolás Maduro. It was  Maduro who repeatedly politicized humanitarian aid, by refusing to acknowledge this crisis for more than five years, consistently denying humanitarian groups the ability to deliver aid to the Venezuelan people, and manipulating government-provided food and medical aid as a political tool to buy the votes.

The international community must continue to work together to promote a peaceful, democratic transition in Venezuela, while doing all we can to support the Venezuelan people, who have suffered for far too long under Maduro’s iron fist.”