US Secretary of State says it would be “hypocritical” not to intervene in Venezuela’s affairs
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that calls from some countries not to interfere in the affairs of Venezuela and other Latin American countries were "hypocritical". The statement was made after meeting with his Chilean counterpart, Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero, in Santiago.
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| US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. |
"I think this is a lesson we all need to remember: China and others hypocritically call for non-interference in Venezuela's affairs, but their financial intervention has destroyed the country," Pompeo said in a statement posted on the US State Department's website.
Speaking about the "hypocritical" countries that support a non-interventionist stance in Latin America, the US Secretary of State said: "We should also be concerned about the Russians."
Mass protests against incumbent Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro began on January 21. Shortly thereafter, opposition National Assembly President Juan Guaido declared himself interim head of state. However, Russia, China and a number of other countries support Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela.
