María Corina Machado, praised for her fight for democracy in her home country of Venezuela, smiles as she talks about the future during her first press conference in Norway.
"I assure you that I am very hopeful," she tells the press corps in the Storting.
I look forward to the day when we can welcome you all to a free Venezuela.
After a dramatic escape, Machado arrived in the Norwegian capital late Wednesday, barely half a day after her daughter accepted the peace prize on her mother's behalf. There, she was greeted by a cheering crowd and family members she had not seen in months, as she lived in hiding to avoid arrest by Nicolás Maduro's authoritarian regime.
"I couldn't sleep last night. In my head I went over and over the moment when I saw my children," she says with tears in her eyes at Thursday morning's press conference.
“Just one in a million”
Before the trip, she had visualized the meeting for months, wondering which of the children she should hug first. In the end, she hugged all three at the same time.
It was one of the most extraordinary, spiritual moments of my life.
Machado promises to continue fighting so that other Venezuelan mothers and children can experience the same thing: being reunited after being forced apart by the regime.
"In the end, I'm just one of millions of Venezuelan mothers who want to hug their children," she notes.
The press conference in the Storting is held side by side with Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who expresses joy and gratitude that Machado has made it safely to Norway after a few uncertain days.
Defending US support
In a short speech, Støre emphasizes the connection between democracy and peace.
It's about fighting for human rights at a time when democracies around the world are under attack, he says.
But you cannot achieve democracy without first having freedom, says María Corina Machado.
The Peace Prize laureate has received criticism for his support for US President Donald Trump and his Venezuela policy, with US airstrikes on suspected drug boats and escalated threats against the regime in Caracas.
"Some people are talking about an invasion of Venezuela, the threat of an invasion of Venezuela. And I answer that Venezuela is already invaded," Machado says now.
