The US Department of State on Thursday called on “all countries that value democratic institutions” to “expand engagement with Taiwan” after Managua announced it was cutting diplomatic relations with Taipei in favor of China.
The department said in a statement that the move by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega “cannot reflect the will of the Nicaraguan people” due to the Central American country’s recent presidential election being a “sham.”
“This deprives Nicaragua’s people of a steadfast partner in its democratic and economic growth,” the statement said.
Photo: AP
The US slammed Nicaragua’s elections last month that saw long-time leader Ortega re-elected as illegitimate, slapping sanctions on the federal public prosecutors’ office and nine officials in response.
In the months ahead of the Nov. 7 election, Nicaraguan authorities detained nearly 40 opposition figures, including seven would-be presidential challengers, virtually assuring victory for Ortega and the vice president, his wife, Rosario Murillo.
“The Ortega-Murillo regime has announced it has severed diplomatic relations and ended official contact with Taiwan, but the sham election on Nov. 7 did not provide it with any mandate to remove Nicaragua from the family of American democracies,” the department said.
“We encourage all countries that value democratic institutions, transparency, the rule of law and promoting economic prosperity for their citizens to expand engagement with Taiwan,” the statement said.
US Senator Rick Scott took to Twitter to condemn the Nicaraguan government.
“This is a shameful move by the evil Ortega regime. Communist China’s growing influence is a cancer in Latin America & poses danger to our entire hemisphere,” he wrote.
Scott then voiced his support for Taiwan, saying the US must “oppose this intervention by standing with Taiwan.”
He was joined by several other US representatives, including Mark Green, Ken Buck, Pat Fallon and Lisa McClain.
Green expressed his disappointment at Nicaragua’s decision, adding that China’s human rights violations against Uighurs and others should not be tolerated.
Buck said he continued to support Taiwan and opposed the Chinese Communist Party’s influence campaigns, while Fallon and McClain said it is the duty of the US to stand firmly in its commitment to support Taiwan.
Additional reporting by CNA
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