Vladimir Padrino López, former Minister of Defense of Venezuela, who held the position for over a decade until a few days ago, stated that his 'main objective' was 'to prevent a war' and celebrated having achieved it. López is pointed to by human rights organizations as one of those responsible for the repression in the country in recent years. 'In this reconciliation process promoted by the Republic (…), I recognize that during my years at the head of the Ministry of Defense, there were difficult decisions to make with inevitable consequences,' he began. At the same time, he admitted that this earned him criticism from the opposition and international accusations.
