Photo: Luiz Rampelotto/EuropaNewswire
United Nations, August 25 2017 – The Foreign Minister of Venezuela, Jorge Arreaza, today said that the financial sanctions imposed by the United States on Venezuela, coupled with threats of military force, constitute “the worst aggression to Venezuela in the last 200 years.”
Arreaza asked “What do they want? They want to starve the Venezuelan people? What is it they are looking for?”
He said Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro would like to have “relations of mutual respect with the Government of President Donald Trump” and added that “in the 21st century, in this world, all the issues have to be solved through dialogue, through diplomacy, and not through threats of war.”
The Venezuelan diplomat, who met with Secretary-General António Guterres earlier today, said the Secretary-General had “effectively condemned” the threat of military force.
He also noted that the leaders of Colombia, Panama, and Chile, “clearly told the Vice President of the United States that interventions and threats of use of force in the Latin American and Caribbean region, have no place in the 21st century.”
Arreaza said “we will take every measure at our avail in every forum, to defend the people of Venezuela and prevent that any of these decisions have an effect on Venezuelan families, have an effect on the health of Venezuelans, have an effect on the welfare of Venezuelans.”
Secretary-General Guterres, during their meeting, took note of the assessment of the Venezuelan Government regarding the situation in the country.
The Secretary-General reiterated his view that a political solution based on dialogue and compromise between the Government and the opposition is essential, and urgent, to address the challenges faced by the country in a context of respect for rule of law and human rights. He expressed support for ongoing regional efforts and the work of the international facilitators who are assisting the parties in trying to reactivate a process of negotiation.
The Secretary-General and Minister Arreaza also discussed the Good Offices Process on the border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela.