Foreign Minister Lavrov discusses situation in Venezuela with Mr. Pompeo
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in a conversation with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, condemned US threats against the legitimate authorities in Venezuela, the Russian Foreign Ministry website reported.
On March 2, at the initiative of the United States, Mr. Lavrov and Mr. Pompeo had a phone conversation.
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| Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Photo: Sputnik |
"The focus was on the situation around Venezuela. Lavrov condemned the US threats against the legitimate authorities in the South American country, calling it a blatant interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state and a serious violation of international law," the statement said.
According to the Russian Foreign Minister, external provocation and sabotage under the "hypocritical act of providing humanitarian aid" is completely unrelated to the democratic process.
In Venezuela, on January 21, massive protests began against incumbent President Nicolas Maduro. On January 23, National Assembly President Juan Guaido declared himself interim head of state for the duration of the government.
The United States and several other countries have declared their recognition of Mr. Guaido. Russia supports Mr. Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela.
Britain, Germany, France and Spain have announced their intention to recognise Guaido as the country's interim president if new elections are not announced in Venezuela within eight days.
To date, in addition to the United States, Brazil, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Georgia, Albania and a number of other countries have also recognized Mr. Guaido as head of state.
On January 28, the United States announced sanctions against Venezuela's PDVSA, blocking $7 billion in assets and rights of the company within its jurisdiction, and prohibiting transactions with them.
The US State Department also said Washington had provided Juan Guaido, head of the opposition Venezuelan National Assembly, with access to Venezuelan government accounts in the country's banks.