The long-running political crisis in Venezuela, which began to escalate when US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido proclaimed himself ‘interim president’ in January, is close to entering its fifth month, with no apparent end in sight.
The United States has developed a new plan to destabilise the situation in Venezuela which envisions the possible violation of the country’s territorial integrity, Venezuelan Defence Council Secretary General Pascualino Angiolillo Fernandez has said.
“Within the framework of this plan, the US envisions three strategic elements. They seek to strike a blow against three key pillars: these are [the Venezuelan] people, the government and our territory,” Fernandez explained, speaking to journalists in the Russian city of Ufa during an international conference hosted by Russia’s Security Council.
According to the official, the strategy includes specific goals, including the destabilisation of the Venezuelan government’s ability to operate and the decline of the welfare of ordinary citizens. The US also seeks to violate the country’s territorial integrity, according to Fernandez.