Flags of CELAC and all member countries of the community. File photo.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—A special extraordinary summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was convened Sunday to address the US military attack against Venezuela in the early hours of Saturday, which led to the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Venezuela
At the summit, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil reaffirmed that Nicolás Maduro continues to be the president in full exercise of his mandate, despite being illegally abducted by the US regime. “In Venezuela there is one constitutional president, Nicolás Maduro, who, although he is currently being illegally held, remains the head of state in full exercise of his mandate,” Gil said.
Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was appointed on Saturday night by the Venezuelan Supreme Court as “acting president” as a precautionary measure while the Court interprets Art. 234 and 234 on presidential absences under the current extraordinary circumstances surrounding President Maduro’s absence.
The top Venezuelan diplomat added that Venezuela, despite the attack, is at peace and calm, and its institutions are fully functioning. This statement seeks to refute any narrative of chaos or a power vacuum that might justify further foreign interference, demonstrating the strength of the Venezuelan institutional system in the face of US imperialism.
Gil noted that Venezuelans are united and that all state structures are operating normally after the activation of the constitutional mechanisms established for this contingency. Executive Vice President Delcy RodrĂguez is carrying out her duties from Caracas after convening a National Defense Council comprised of representatives from state institutions.
The foreign minister highlighted that while Venezuela remains firmly committed to the diplomatic path and dialogue, it will not accept humiliation or imposition from Washington. He demanded that CELAC immediately request the restoration of international law, which requires the immediate withdrawal of all US military forces in the Caribbean that threaten peace in the region. “I must point out, in light of the recent statements by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that it is important for this community to recognize that Venezuela remains under threat, remains under siege,” he added.
The Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) remains deployed throughout Venezuelan territory, responding to the call for national unity to defend sovereignty and territorial integrity against what the government describes as a colonial war aimed at plundering resources.
Cuba
During the meeting, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno RodrĂguez called for action with the strength and determination that current circumstances demand to stop the war and the abuses. The Cuban diplomat warned of the dangers to the continent posed by Washington’s intentions to reinstate a policy of interference through the use of force, which promotes intervention in the internal affairs of nations and evokes memories of the era of US-supported military dictatorships. In response to these ambitions, he reiterated that Latin America is not a disputed territory, nor does it belong to anyone other than the sovereignty of its people.
RodrĂguez questioned what the US ruler meant when he said he would govern Venezuela and reclaim its oil resources, highlighting the colonialist undertones of these claims. He pointed out that this represents an existential threat of a historical nature, transcending all political and ideological lines, and requires all CELAC member states to set aside their differences to collectively defend the foundations of the region’s independence and sovereignty.
The Cuban foreign minister called for all diplomatic and political efforts to be made to demand due respect for Venezuelan territorial integrity and independence and the immediate release of the Venezuelan leader and his wife, abducted in a maneuver that constitutes a clear violation of the principles of international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and peaceful coexistence.
He added that the bloc’s community stance should be directed toward not allowing force and barbarity to prevail over international law and, in due course, “demanding accountability from those responsible for these aggressions, for the deaths caused, and the disastrous precedent they set.”
“Cuba rejects the brutal intention to impose the Monroe Doctrine by military force and its enshrinement in the current US national security doctrine,” he concluded.
Nicaragua
Nicaragua also demanded the release of President Nicolás Maduro, as well as unrestricted respect for Venezuelan sovereignty. From Managua, Foreign Minister Valdrack Jaentschke thanked Colombia, which holds CELAC’s pro tempore presidency, for convening the summit.
“From our Nicaragua, as sisters and brothers of Our Latin America and the Caribbean, we join the clamor of the entire world, affirming that we will continue fighting for the rule of international law and sovereignty. We call upon CELAC to demand respect for the sovereignty of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, a full member state of our organization,” Jaentschke emphasized.
The Nicaraguan foreign minister stressed the vital importance of adhering to the fundamental principles governing the Charter of the United Nations, emphasizing the sovereign equality of states, the inalienable right of peoples to self-determination, the territorial integrity of nations, and the principle of non-interference in internal affairs—elements considered essential for peaceful coexistence and regional development.
Nicaragua reiterated the strategic importance of preserving the region as a zone of peace—based on the 2014 CELAC declaration—tirelessly defending the desire of its peoples to build a more just, supportive, and equitable world, a fundamental pillar of the Latin Americanist vision of integration.
In closing, the Nicaraguan delegation emphasized that peace, conceived as an irreplaceable pillar of humanity, has been deeply wounded globally, a situation that demands a coordinated response. It stressed that the human family, the community of nations, and the peoples of the world urgently call for the restoration of this supreme value, not only as an ideal, but as a pressing necessity.
Emergency UN Security Council meeting
Following the unprecedented and illegal US military attacks against Venezuela, a broad and diverse wave of international solidarity has emerged in support of sovereignty, peace, and international law. Governments, multilateral organizations, social movements, and people from all corners of the globe have raised their voices to condemn the intervention and support the Venezuelan people.
Simultaneously, an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has been convened for Monday, January 5, to address US military intervention in Venezuela and the abduction of President Maduro. Maduro and Flores are now in the United States to face trial for narcoterrorism, without any evidence having been provided for the crimes they are accused of.
The Somali mission, which chairs the organization during the month of January, called the meeting for 10 a.m. local time. The emergency meeting was requested by Venezuela’s permanent delegation to the UN, led by Ambassador Samuel Moncada, who sent a letter to his Somali counterpart after the United States carried out a large-scale military attack that also killed dozens of Venezuelans.
Venezuela has received expressions of solidarity from several countries, including China, Russia, Belarus, Cuba, Nicaragua, Brazil, Malaysia, and Turkey, among others, whose governments have stated that the US has violated the Charter of the United Nations.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/JB
