More than 100 international delegates from 40 countries are taking part in the event, which includes intellectuals, artists, military personnel, ambassadors accredited in Caracas, deputy foreign ministers, among others.

In the welcoming words of the event, Gil praised the thought of the Father of the Bolivarian Nation, whose 242nd birth anniversary will be commemorated this July 24.

The high-ranking diplomat emphasized that Bolivar embodied the entire revolutionary thought of an era and “today remains an advanced, new, anti-colonial, anti-imperialist thought that serves us all to support our doctrine and action in this Bolivarian Revolution.”

He emphasized that Bolivar saw peace not as the absence of conflict, but as a product of justice, and affirmed that “today more than ever, that thought is alive, and it is what we Bolivarians and the inhabitants of this world who want peace demand.” The Franco-Spanish intellectual Ignacio Ramonet noted that Commander Hugo Chavez demonstrated that Bolívar’s thought was still alive in the 21st century, and that President Nicolas Maduro “continues to practice Bolivarianism every day.”

If we are passionate about this Revolution, he asserted, it is because of the contemporary aspect of the Liberator’s thought. In a world where genocide is being committed in Gaza, and 252 innocent Venezuelans can be imprisoned in a high-security prison, “that is why Bolívar is more relevant than ever,” he emphasized.

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