AGENCIES / MOSCOW / Washington
Russia has warned the United States against military interference in Venezuela’s affairs, it would be a disaster, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday, noting that Moscow stands for the principle of non-interference in internal affairs.
“We warn against this. We believe that this would be a catastrophic scenario that would shake the foundations of the development model we see in the Latin American region”, Ryabkov said in an interview with the International Affairs magazine.
“As we see how the situation in Venezuela develops, we note the willingness of a certain group of countries, including the United States, to use different platforms such as the Organization of American States, to increase pressure on our ally Venezuela under different pretexts… But we have always supported and will support friendly Venezuela that is our strategic partner”, he stated.
Moscow said, only Venezuelans have the right to determine their future. Destructive outside interference, especially in the current extremely tense situation, is unacceptable.
Russian foreign ministry warned that international support for opposition leader Juan Guaido, is a direct path to lawlessness and bloodshed in a hostile country. In a separate statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov slammed attempts by the opposition to usurp power.
During a conference Peskov said, Russia consider the attempted usurpation of power in Venezuela as a breach of the foundations of international law.
China also opposed external interference in Venezuelan politics, after the US and major South American countries sided with opposition leader Juan Guaido over President Nicolas Maduro in a power struggle.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a press briefing in Beijing said today that China has consistently pursued the principle of not interfering with other countries internal politics, and opposes the interference in Venezuelan affairs by external forces.
China is Venezuela’s main creditor and Maduro visited the country in September, striking energy and gold mining deals as he sought Beijing’s support to help his crisis-hit nation.
Meanwhile, Nationwide anti-governmental protests have been shaking Venezuela since the beginning of the week, while supporters of the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, have also held rallies.
On Tuesday, the opposition-run Venezuelan National Assembly adopted a statement declaring Maduro a usurper. On Wednesday, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself the country’s interim president at a mass rally in the Venezuelan capital.
Some foreign countries, including the US and Canada, have recognised Guaido as an interim president of Venezuela.
US President Donald Trump has announced that Washington recognises Juan Guaido as the “rightful head” of Venezuela in a move that has been fiercely slammed by President Nicolas Maduro as a coup attempt.
In the context of the ongoing presidential crisis in Venezuela, opposition leader Juan Guaido took his own oath of office and declared himself the country’s interim president at a mass rally in Caracas on Wednesday.
The 35-year-old was raised in the coastal town of La Guaira and studied industrial engineering at the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, in 2007.
Guaido, who has repeatedly been accused by the Venezuelan government of being promoted by the US, did postgraduate studies at George Washington University in DC.