Venezuela foreign minister defies new US sanctions

World
Europe

Venezuela on Monday said new US sanctions restricting its ability to liquidate state assets and debt in the United States were “illegal measures.”

“(The sanctions) are madness, barbaric, and in absolute contradiction to international law,” Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said in a short statement at the Miraflores presidential palace.

In response to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s re-election on Sunday, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order, the latest in a series of sanctions that seeks to choke off financing for the already cash-strapped government.

Maduro won re-election in a vote on Sunday, taking 5.8 million votes, versus 1.8 for his nearest rival Henri Falcon.

Confetti falls as supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro celebrate his re-election in Caracas, Venezuela, May 20, 2018. /VCG Photo

Turnout at the election was 46.1 percent, the election board said, down from the 80 percent registered at the last presidential vote in 2013, due to a boycott by Venezuela's mainstream opposition.

Meanwhile, representatives of Argentina, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Chile, and the United States said in a joint statement on Monday they would not recognize the result of this presidential election in Venezuela.

Mexico's Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray (2nd L) delivers a statement on Venezuela's situation, next to Deputy Secretary of State of the United States, John J. Sullivan (L), Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie (C), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Roberto Ampuero (2nd R), and G20 representative of Canada, Jonathan Friedon, on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, May 21, 2018. /VCG Photo

“Taking into account the lack of legitimacy of the electoral process we do not recognize the results of (Sunday’s) election... which excluded the participation of some political actors,” said Argentina’s Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie.

Chile is not part of the Group of 20, but was invited to participate in the meeting of foreign ministers by Argentina, which holds the G20 rotating presidency this year.

Reactions from around the world

Besides the US and some G20 states, other countries and groups around the world have also weighed in on Maduro's re-election.

At a regular press conference on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang reaffirmed China's belief in the principle of non-interference, and said the Venezuelan government and its people are able to handle their own affairs. He also emphasized that the Venezuelan people's choice should be respected.

The Chinese spokesman added that disputes, if there are any, should be properly addressed within the current legal frame of Venezuela.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang speaks at a regular press conference in Beijing, May 21, 2018. /MOFA Photo

Elsewhere, the 14 countries of the Lima Group, including Argentina, Brazil and Canada, said Monday they were recalling their ambassadors from Venezuela in protest over alleged irregularities in the election.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his congratulations to Maduro on his re-election, wishing him "success in resolving the social and economic issues facing the country."

(With inputs from agencies)