Press release on developments in Venezuela
On January 5, the National Assembly of Venezuela started its new legislative session, having re-elected Jorge Rodrigues as the President of the Assembly and reforming its leadership team. This ensured the continuity of this government body that is making an important contribution to strengthening the institutional foundations and stability of internal political life in Venezuela.
However, supported and instigated by its Western sponsors, the Venezuelan radical opposition continued its attempts to breathe new life into the parallel National Assembly in order to hold onto the levers of power at any cost. At the same time, the correct and logical decision was made to bring the Juan Guaido-led “transitional government” to an end. This confirmed what we have long been saying, notably, that the activities of a parallel power structure are not a lawful approach. Even the ideological inspirers in Washington, which tried to keep the Guaido project afloat until the last minute, eventually gave up on him because this impostor was corrupt and lost the public trust.
That said, this dual power circus continues. Obviously, the goals of those who tried to bring about a colour revolution in Venezuela, something that did not take place, remain the same. After the leadership of the “parallel National Assembly” was endorsed in a virtual format, unnamed sources in the US administration signaled that the White House would consider any new bodies set up by the Venezuelan “democratic forces” as a “transitional government.” They are not attempting to hide the ultimate goal of this farce – to maintain control over Venezuelan state funds that are in a foreign jurisdiction. We expect that they will continue to use any pseudo-legal schemes that will allow the “democratic government of Venezuela, which is in exile” to continue accessing valuable assets like the American subsidiary of the PDVSA - CITGO Petroleum and the gold in the Bank of England. To paraphrase Francisco Goya, the sleep of reason produces monsters – new monsters but we are familiar with them.
This is yet another example of the “rules-based order” that continues to be stubbornly pursued by Western capitals. This order is based on the striving of our opponents to impose their will on sovereign states. We categorically reject the methods of the collective West. These methods include overt blackmail, threats and illegal unilateral coercive measures. The West is trying to present its own selfish aims as aspirations of other nations. Only the universally recognised standards of international law and principles held in the UN Charter can serve as a foundation for equitable and mutually respectful interstate dialogue and for maintaining a sustainable and fair world order.
We reaffirm our continuing efforts to strengthen our relations with friendly Venezuela and to develop close, mutually beneficial cooperation with that country, which will continue to be our key strategic partner.
