In a statement, Brazil and five other countries condemn the attack on Venezuela

In a joint statement released this Sunday (4), Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Spain, Mexico and Uruguay condemned the military attack orchestrated by the United States against Venezuela. They also expressed great concern about the military actions carried out by US President Donald Trump.

In the note, the governments of the six countries cite the seriousness of the actions registered in Venezuela and reaffirm their adherence to the principles set out in the Charter of the United Nations, a document that represents the aspirations and achievements of humanity towards peace.

“We express our deep concern and repudiation of the military actions carried out unilaterally in Venezuelan territory, which contravene fundamental principles of international law, in particular the prohibition of the use and threat of force, and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.”

Also according to the statement, the six countries assess that the actions constitute an “extremely dangerous” precedent for regional peace and security and put the civilian population at risk.

“The situation in Venezuela must be resolved exclusively by peaceful means, through dialogue, negotiation and respect for the will of the Venezuelan people in all its expressions, without external interference and in accordance with international law.”

“We reaffirm that only an inclusive political process, led by Venezuelans, can lead to a democratic and sustainable solution that respects human dignity”, concluded the joint statement, which reaffirms Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace, “built on mutual respect, the peaceful resolution of disputes and non-intervention”.

At the end of the letter, the signatory countries call for regional unity that goes beyond political differences in the face of any action that puts regional stability at risk.

The countries also ask the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, and the Member States of relevant multilateral mechanisms to help reduce tensions and preserve peace in the region.

“We express our concern at any attempt at government control, administration or external appropriation of natural or strategic resources, which is incompatible with international law and which threatens the political, economic and social stability of the region”, concluded the document.

Understand
On Saturday (3), several explosions were recorded in neighborhoods in the Venezuelan capital Caracas. Amid the military attack, orchestrated by the United States, the president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured by elite American forces and taken to New York.

The attack marks a new episode of direct North American interventions in Latin America. The last time the United States invaded a Latin American country was in 1989, in Panama, when they kidnapped then-president Manuel Noriega, accusing him of drug trafficking.

Just as they did with Noriega, the United States accuses Maduro of leading an alleged Venezuelan cartel called De Los Soles, without presenting evidence. Experts in international drug trafficking question the existence of the cartel.

Donald Trump’s government offered a reward of US$50 million for information leading to Maduro’s arrest.

For critics, the action is a geopolitical measure to distance Venezuela from global adversaries of the United States, such as China and Russia, in addition to exerting greater control over the country’s oil, which owns the largest proven oil reserves on the planet.

Read More: Trump captures Maduro, but keeps his regime in charge — for now