Russia on Friday accused the European Union (EU) of “torpedoing” the dialogue with Venezuela, while stressing that the community bloc has imposed sanctions on the Caribbean country despite its calls to respect human rights.
“While advocating the establishment of a Venezuelan dialogue, it happens that the EU, in fact, is constantly torpedoing it,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, as reported by the Russian news agency Sputnik.
In addition, Zakharova criticized that the EU qualifies nationalism as “inappropriate”, but, at the same time, “gives support to public persons from various countries” who promote this policy and sanctions the countries that condemn it.
Therefore, he has pointed out that the crisis in Venezuela can only be solved “through peaceful inclusive Venezuelan dialogue without destructive outside interference” and, in this regard, stressed that Moscow is committed to “facilitating the search for a solution in that country, including in cooperation with other interested actors, including the EU.”
The European Union imposed sanctions against 19 Venezuelan officials on Monday, on the grounds that the parliamentary elections held on December 6 lacked guarantees. This brings to 55 the total number of Venezuelan officials sanctioned by the community bloc. In response, Caracas expelled the European Union ambassador in the country, Isabel Brilhante Pedrosa, and the EU has declared the Venezuelan representative, Claudia Salerno, persona ‘non grata’.
