The collective action follows weeks of pressure from the United States, backing Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has declared himself the country’s interim president, and urging incumbent President Nicolas Maduro to step down.
Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza introduced a group of countries opposed to the US-backed efforts to oust President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday.
The group, which numbers more than 50 countries, including Russia, Cuba, China, Iran, would defend the key principles of the United Nations Charter that are being violated by the United States’ actions in Venezuela.
“Today we are announcing an important group of nations concerned about the need to retain respect for the founding principles of the UN Charter. We believe that these principles are being violated. We all have the right to live without the threat of force”, Arreaza said, citing sovereignty, equality of UN members in the General Assembly, non-intervention in domestic affairs, and the peaceful settlement of disputes.
Arreaza elaborated that the new group would be conducting “a series of actions to increase awareness around the dangers that our peoples currently face, particularly the case of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. We call upon all the member states of the UN to join us in defending international law as the only guarantor of… peaceful coexistence”.
The foreign minister said that the United States was trying to starve Venezuela and now is offering to send humanitarian aid.
“The US has blocked our economy of $30 billion… and they are sending humanitarian aid of $20 million? They are choking you, killing you and now saying ‘I am giving you a cookie’”, he added, probably referring to “high-energy biscuits packed with vitamins and minerals”, which Washington said were being airlifted to Colombia to be delivered to Caracas.
Commenting on reports that the US has been trying to turn Venezuela’s armed forces against President Maduro, Arreaza said that Washington needed to “rethink your strategy” because “this test of loyalty of the military is over”.