Venezuela crisis | Familiar geopolitical sides take shape

MOSCOW (AP):

Russia, China, Iran, Syria, and Cuba have come down on one side. The United States, Canada, and countries in Western Europe are on the other.

As the crisis in Venezuela reaches a new boiling point – with embattled Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro facing a challenge from opposition leader Juan Guaido – the geopolitical fault lines look familiar.

United States President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued statements on Wednesday proclaiming US recognition of Guaido, saying the US would take all diplomatic and economic measures necessary to support a transition to a new government. Canada said it was recognising Guaido as the interim president, and British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt called him “the right person” to take Venezuela forward.

But Washington’s adversaries are issuing warnings against US intervention. Russian officials have called the move a “coup” orchestrated by the US.

The US and Russia already are at odds over Syria’s civil war, and the Venezuelan crisis has the potential to add further strain. Russian-US ties have sunk to post-Cold War lows over Moscow’s support of separatists in Ukraine and allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election.

MAJOR OIL PRODUCERS

“We view the attempt to usurp power in Venezuela as something that contradicts and violates the foundations and principles of international law,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Venezuela’s status as a major oil producer – it has the world’s largest underground oil reserves, but crude production continues to crash – means its political instability has deep implications globally.

For Iran, its relationship with Venezuela hinges on their mutual enmity towards the US.

Chávez travelled to Iran in 2006 and received the country’s Islamic Republic Medal, its highest award, from hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who called Chávez a “brother and a trench mate”. Chávez vowed Venezuela would “stay by Iran at any time and under any condition”. Both leaders faced criticism from then-US President George W. Bush and offered their own withering criticism of him.

After Maduro took power upon Chávez’s death in 2013, Iran has maintained its support of Venezuela.

Meanwhile, the chief of Venezuela’s military has also reaffirmed his support for President Maduro, saying the armed forces will never accept a leader imposed on their country.

Cuba

Venezuela’s closest ally says it backs socialist President Nicolás Maduro against what it calls a “coup d’état” to impose “a servile government under orders from the United States”.

Cuba’s foreign ministry says Cuba “expresses its unwavering solidarity with the government of the constitutional President Maduro Moros.”

Cuba has sent Venezuela tens of thousands of workers, from doctors to intelligence officials, to support former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and Maduro, his successor.

In return, the economically struggling island receives tens of thousands of barrels a day in heavily subsidised oil.

Anti-Maduro National Assembly President Juan Guaido asserts that he is Venezuela’s interim president under the constitution.

United Kingdom

Britain’s foreign secretary says Venezuela opposition leader Juan Guaido is “the right person” to take the troubled country forward.

Jeremy Hunt said on Thursday during a visit to Washington that the May 20 election in Venezuela was “deeply flawed” and said the regime led by President Nicholas Maduro has done “untold damage to the people of Venezuela”.

Hunt said it is clear that Maduro is not the “legitimate” leader of Venezuela. But the statement stops short of recognising Guaido as president.

Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered his support to embattled Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a phone call.

The Kremlin says that Putin “expressed support to the legitimate government of Venezuela amid the acute political crisis that has been provoked from the outside”.

The Kremlin statement yesterday said Putin called for “overcoming differences in the Venezuelan society through peaceful dialogue”.

Russia had already denounced the US decision to recognise an opposition leader as Venezuela’s legitimate president, calling it an attempted coup.

Russia has been a key sponsor and ally of Venezuela, and last month it deployed two Tu-160 nuclear-capable bombers to Venezuela for several days.

The Vatican

The Vatican says Pope Francis is closely following developments in Venezuela and supports “all efforts that help save the population from further suffering”.

A statement from Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti yesterday didn’t say if the Holy See recognised opposition leader Juan Guaido’s claim to the interim presidency.

The statement said the Pope “is praying for the victims and for all the people of Venezuela”. It adds that “the Holy See supports all efforts that help save the population from further suffering”.

The Vatican has a delicate line to balance in Venezuela. Local bishops vocally oppose the socialist regime of President Nicolás Maduro, but the Holy See has kept up diplomatic relations with the government to the extent that it sent its interim chargé d’affaires to Maduro’s inauguration earlier this month.

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Turkey, Malta

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he’s shocked by US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido’s claim to the presidency.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Malta’s president on Thursday, Erdogan reiterated his support for embattled President Nicolas Maduro.

Erdogan said he believed Maduro would overcome the crisis and would receive the people’s backing “if he continues to stand strong in the path he believes in”.

Erdogan also said Maduro didn’t delay in calling and visiting Turkey to offer his support soon after Turkey thwarted a coup attempt in 2016.

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South Africa

South Africa’s UN ambassador Jerry Matjila says South Africa still recognises the Maduro government. He called the situation in Venezuela “very delicate”, and encouraged Venezuelans “to sit together and discuss among themselves to see what they can do”.

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Germany

The German government is backing the opposition-led National Assembly in Venezuela, while calling for “free and credible elections” in the country.

Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Thursday on Twitter that “the people of Venezuela are bravely working for a free future for their country”.

Seibert said “this now requires a political process that results in free and credible elections”.

He added that “the democratically elected National Assembly should have a special role here”.

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United Nations

The UN chief has called for dialogue and says violence or escalation should be avoided after the United States, many Latin American countries and others recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country’s president.

Guterres said: “It is absolutely essential to have dialogue, to avoid violence and to avoid escalation.”

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France, European Union

French President Emmanuel Macron says that the May 2018 election of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was “illegitimate” and saluted the bravery of Venezuelans who are demanding freedom.

In a tweet on Thursday in French and Spanish, Macron added his own voice to the European Union’s declared support for the restoration of democracy.

Macron said that he “salutes the courage of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans marching for their liberty.”

The EU is calling for the launch of a political process in Venezuela that would lead to fresh elections after opposition leader Juan Guaido claimed the presidency amid anti-government protests.

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Ecuador

Ecuador’s foreign minister says his country opposes possible military action in Venezuela against President Nicolas Maduro’s government, insisting it would have “mostly negative impacts.”

Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Jose Valencia told a panel session at the World Economic Forum in Davos that Ecuador would disagree with any military option.

Ecuador said in October it has granted visas to 90,000 Venezuelans fleeing their country.

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Syria

Syria has condemned what it describes as “flagrant intervention” by the US in Venezuela’s internal affairs.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that the American backing of the opposition’s claim to the presidency in Venezuela constitutes a “violation of international laws and norms”.

The ministry says Damascus renews its “full solidarity with the leadership and people of the Venezuelan Republic in preserving the country’s sovereignty and foiling the American administration’s hostile plans”.

A large Syrian community lives in Venezuela.

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Portugal

Portugal’s foreign minister is calling for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to “understand that his time has come to an end”, after opposition leader Juan Guaido claimed the country’s presidency, adding that Maduro “cannot ignore the will of the people.”

Portugal has previously taken a careful approach to events in Venezuela, wary of doing anything that might cause problems for the large Portuguese community there.

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China

China is calling on the United States to stay out of Venezuela’s current political crisis and says it opposes all outside intervention in the South American country.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Thursday that all parties to the conflict should “remain rational and level-headed and seek a political resolution on the Venezuelan issue through peaceful dialogue within the framework of the Venezuelan Constitution”.

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Iran

Iran has denounced events in Venezuela, saying the opposition’s claim there that it holds the presidency is a “coup” and an attempt to take over power unlawfully.

In Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told reporters on Thursday that the “Islamic Republic of Iran supports the government and people of Venezuela against any sort of foreign intervention and any illegitimate and illegal action such as attempt to make a coup d’etat.”

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Sweden, Denmark

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom says “the people’s right to peacefully demonstrate and freely choose its leaders must be respected” in Venezuela.

Wallstrom has tweeted that “all violence and the excessive use of force are unacceptable. Democracy must be restored”.

Her Danish counterpart Anders Samuelsen says Denmark “will always support legitimate elected democratic institutions — not least the parliamentary assembly including @jguaido Juan Guaido.”