On September 17, 2011, the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, sent a letter to the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon recognizing the sovereignty of the Palestinian state.

In the letter, transmitted by Foreign Affairs Minister Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan leader wrote: “This represents an act of historic justice toward a people who carry with them, from time immemorial, all the pain and suffering of the world.”

Additionally, on September 27, 2011, Maduro read a letter on behalf of Venezuela before the 66th General Assembly sent by President Chávez to ratifying Venezuela’s commitment to justice, equality, and peace.

Read here both letters.