Spain congratulates Albert Ramdin on his appointment as Secretary General of the OAS

The Diplomat The Government of Spain has congratulated this Monday the Surinamese Foreign Minister Albert Ramdin on his election as the new Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS). In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has wished him “success in his new responsibilities” and reiterated “its commitment to continue working closely with the OAS in the new stage that is opening.” “Spain, as the dean of observers and as one of its main donors, reiterates its commitment to multilateralism to face the challenges of the region,” the statement continues. “Democracy, human rights and development will continue to be the keys to our joint action,” it concludes. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Suriname, Albert Ramdin, was elected this Monday by acclamation for the position of Secretary General of the OAS for the period 2025-2030. Randim was the only candidate to succeed the Uruguayan Luis Almagro. On Wednesday, Paraguay's foreign minister, Rubén Ramírez Lezcano, who is close to US President Donald Trump, decided to withdraw his candidacy after finding that Ramdin had enough support to guarantee his victory. OAS rules state that the secretary general (who must always be from a country other than his predecessor) needs the backing of at least 18 of the 34 member states. Randim had at that point the declared support of Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and the 14 member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), including his own country, Suriname. Albert Randim, 67, belongs to the Progressive Reform Party (VHP). He served as deputy secretary general of the OAS between 2005 and 2015 and has been foreign minister in the government of Surinamese President Chan Santokhi since 2020. To date, Ramdin has shown himself to be in favour of promoting dialogue with the Venezuelan regime of Nicolás Maduro, in contrast to his predecessor, Luis Almagro, and his only rival, Rubén Ramírez, who are more in favour of a heavy hand and closely aligned with the position of the United States.

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