Photo: a screenshot of Colombian Foreign Ministry website
The governments of Spain, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Uruguay have issued a joint statement on Sunday, expressing “deep concern and rejection of the military actions carried out unilaterally on Venezuelan territory,” as “these actions constitute an extremely dangerous precedent for peace and regional security and endanger the civilian population,” according to the joint statement in English on the website of Colombian Foreign Ministry website.
“We reiterate that the situation in Venezuela must be resolved exclusively through peaceful means, through dialogue, negotiation, and respect for the will of the Venezuelan people in all its expressions, without external interference and in accordance with international law. We reaffirm that only an inclusive political process, led by Venezuelans, can lead to a democratic, sustainable solution that respects human dignity,” read the joint statement.
The six countries also “urge the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Member States of the relevant multilateral mechanisms to use their good offices to contribute to the de-escalation of tensions and the preservation of regional peace.”
The six countries, in the joint statement, also expressed their concern “regarding any attempt at government control, administration or external appropriation of natural or strategic resources, which is incompatible with international law and threatens the political, economic and social stability of the region.”
The joint statement came after the US military forces carried out attacks and bombings in Venezuela’s capital Caracas in the early hours of Saturday and other parts of the country and forcibly took Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
Venezuela’s Bolivarian National Armed Forces on Sunday strongly condemned the “cowardly kidnapping” of Maduro. In a statement read out on national radio and television, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez also denounced that US troops sent to Venezuela early Saturday murdered “in cold blood” a large part of Maduro’s security personnel, soldiers and innocent civilians.
Global Times