Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado and Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre delivered a powerful joint message in Oslo, stressing that peace is impossible without real democracy. Standing alongside the Venezuelan opposition leader, the Norwegian PM underscored that authoritarian regimes are rising worldwide and warned that Venezuela remains a nation under assault by its own government. Machado declared that Venezuela will be free and said millions were forced to flee because the regime fears freedom, urging the world not to ignore the crisis. Their appearance marked one of the strongest joint statements yet on the link between democracy, peace, and the global fight against authoritarianism. #norway #venezuela #machado #apt
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00:00Welcome to this press conference with the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Garstøre, and the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Maria Corina Machado.
00:08First we will open up for two short introductions, and then we will open up for questions.
00:13So please, Prime Minister.
00:15Well, first I'd like to express a very warm welcome on behalf of the government of Norway, and may I say, on behalf of all Norwegians,
00:23to this year's Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Maria Corina Machado, to see you safe and sound at last.
00:30We waited for you, and I told you today that that Nobel ceremony was not without you.
00:37You had a tremendous presence in that hall, not only the picture, but also the voice of your daughter with reading your message.
00:45And the dinner at the hotel yesterday, where we all kind of were counting down to see you arriving in Oslo, was an emotional moment,
00:55and I think it brought your message, your story, and your struggle for democracy very close to the Norwegian public.
01:03And that was a strong moment. All the better to see you here, standing today. You are heartily welcome.
01:09The Nobel Committee makes its choice on every year's prize, based on interpreting the will of Alfred Nobel.
01:19And I think this year's prize has a special significance by the very strong emphasis of the link between a democracy
01:27that works as a democracy and the way to freedom and peace, not only between nations, but in nation.
01:35So in Venezuela, we have a situation where authoritarian regime is waging war on its people, with millions of refugees and injustice.
01:51And there cannot be peace until democracy and elections are respected.
01:57So that is the message that we are receiving of great importance for Venezuela, but also a message that has universal bearing.
02:06And this is all about fighting for your fundamental human rights at a time when democracy is under threat.
02:12There are so many countries where this is relevant today. Unfortunately, there are fewer democracies, more authoritarian regimes.
02:19That is the trend. So I would like simply to salute you, Madam Laureate, for your struggle.
02:27It has cost you a lot. It costs you and your family and your people a lot.
02:32And I think what we heard from your daughter yesterday and from your family and the people who came here,
02:37thinking about those who are today in jail, those who suffered, those who have aspirations for democracy,
02:43that is a strong message of these Nobel Laureate days in Oslo.
02:49Maria, please, you have the floor.
02:52Thank you very much, Prime Minister. And thank you all.
02:55And I want to speak to the Norwegian people, European people, to the Venezuelan people.
03:04I would say to all citizens of the world in this hour and assure you that I am very hopeful Venezuela will be free and we will turn a country into a beacon of hope, an opportunity of democracy.
03:19Well, we will welcome not only the Venezuelans that have been forced to flee, but citizens from all over the world that will find a refuge as Venezuela used to be decades ago.
03:32And as I mentioned, well, Ana Corina read yesterday, I believe that our experience in Venezuela conveys to the world a testimony that certainly in order to have peace, you require democracy.
03:53Democracy. Democracy is the system that enables peace in a society.
03:58But you cannot have democracy without freedom.
04:01And freedom is an individual decision, a rational decision.
04:08And it's the sum of these individual conscious decisions that bring that collective ethos that creates the force, the strength, and the courage to fight for freedom, to defend it when you've got it.
04:25And that courage comes from the things that truly matter in your life, the things that you love.
04:33And when you feel that those things are most in danger, the courage increases.
04:40That's why I am convinced that peace ultimately is an act of love.
04:47And that's what brought me here, the love of millions of Venezuelans for our country, for freedom, and for our children.
04:59And I believe there's no other generation in the history of Venezuela that loves more freedom or family and our soul or territory, the possibility of actually being in your home.
05:17And that's why I believe there's no other generation in the history of Venezuela that we have.
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