The Foreign Minister of Venezuela, Yván Gil, thanked President Claudia Sheinbaum for urging the United Nations (UN) to “assume its role” in the face of escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas amid the US military deployment in the Caribbean.
“On behalf of President Nicolás Maduro, we express our recognition of the statements of the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, in support of dialogue, peace and respect for the principle of non-intervention, as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations,” Gil said in a message on Telegram that he accompanied with a video of the president’s statements.
“Venezuela reiterates its firm commitment to protect the Caribbean as a zone of peace, as well as to safeguard our national sovereignty and our legitimate right to defense and self-determination. Likewise, we advocate respect for safe trade and navigation channels for all nations,” added the Foreign Minister.
The president of Mexico earlier called for using “dialogue and peace” in any “international controversy” and asked the UN to assume “its role to avoid any bloodshed and to always seek a peaceful solution to conflicts.”
Sheinbaum also stated that, in his opinion, that role has not been visible in the recent episode, stating: “He has not been seen.”
The Mexican president’s statements, in her usual daily conference from the National Palace, come after US President Donald Trump announced a “total blockade” against sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving the South American country.
More context:
Sheinbaum urges the UN to ‘assume its role’ in the face of growing tension between the US and Venezuela
Trump announced the “total blockade” on Tuesday, in a significant escalation of the military operation that began in the international waters of the Caribbean in August and that supposedly had as its central objective combat drug trafficking organizations operating in the region.
The US president also said this Wednesday that Venezuela took away oil rights from US companies and said he wants them back.
Following the presidential order, it is not clear how many oil tankers would be affected or what consequences such a measure would have for the Venezuelan oil industry.
With information from EFE.
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