Venezuela refused to participate in the summit, calling it illegitimate, but Julio Borges, the president of the opposition-controlled Venezuelan parliament was invited to the event.
The minister noted that Mercosur's participants agreed that the bloc should draw attention to the crisis experienced by Venezuela, but so far all appeals had not led to any positive results.
"Our expectations are that Mercosur could urge Venezuela and local authorities to fully restore democracy and full respect for human rights," Faurie said.
Mercosur, founded in 1991, is a sub-regional economic bloc that includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela and is aimed at promoting free trade. Venezuelan membership was suspended in 2016 due to its alleged failure to fulfill economic, human rights and immigration requirements and presidency in the bloc was handed over to Argentina.
