Venezuela cuts relations with S-American state
(MENAFN) Venezuela has severed diplomatic relations with Paraguay after its president, Santiago Pena, publicly supported the Venezuelan opposition and recognized exiled opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez as the true winner of last year’s presidential elections. While Venezuelan authorities declared President Nicolas Maduro the victor in the July elections, the opposition and many Western nations, including the US and the EU, have claimed the election was rigged and called for Maduro to step down.
Pena's meeting with Venezuelan opposition leaders on Sunday, where he acknowledged Gonzalez as the legitimate winner and vowed to support efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela, prompted Caracas to take action. On Monday, Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto announced the country’s decision to cut diplomatic ties and expel Paraguayan diplomatic personnel.
Venezuela condemned the Paraguayan government for aligning its foreign policy with external interests and undermining Venezuela’s democratic processes. As Maduro prepares for his third term inauguration, Gonzalez, who fled to Spain with an outstanding arrest warrant, has vowed to return to Venezuela by January 10 to take office.
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