A Guaido supporter being punched by a local "Venezuelan Embassy Defender"
The Venezuelan government states that the “envoys” of the opposition deputy tried to remove them from the diplomatic headquarters, while Brasilia denies their participation in the incident, disregarding that by international conventions host countries have to provide complete security to foreign embassies.
The government of Venezuela has denounced an attack on its embassy in Brazil after irregular groups tried to force the departure of diplomatic personnel who were on the premises.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza wrote on his Twitter account that the facilities of his country’s diplomatic headquarters in Brasilia were “invaded by force” in the early hours of Wednesday. “We hold the government of Brazil responsible for the safety of our staff and facilities. ”
Brazilian armed forces enabled the outright invasion of Venezuela’s embassy in São Paulo.
According to the Vienna diplomatic conventions, it is the Brazilian government’s legal duty to protect embassy grounds. This sends a message to all that diplomats are not safe in Brazil. https://t.co/RCGFJsKGnV
— Anya Parampil (@anyaparampil) November 13, 2019
Similarly, he demanded respect for the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which states that diplomatic offices cannot be penetrated by agents of the receiving State without the permission of the Venezuelan mission chief.
For its part, the envoy to Brazil of the self-proclaimed “president in charge”, Juan Guaidó, María Teresa Belandria, has denied through a statement that the entry was by force and stated that it was concensual with the help of a low ranked Venezuelan diplomat that was in the embassy at the time.
“This media show was carefully planned by Venezuelan right wingers in Brasilia trying to take some desperate needed media attention taking advantage of the BRICS summit being held in Brazil the same day and the lack of traction of Guaido and the US led regime change operation in Venezuela,” an international analyst said to OT.
Brasilia response
The president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, responded later on social networks that he repudiates “the interference of external actors” and that they are taking the “necessary measures to safeguard public order and prevent acts of violence”, according to the Vienna Convention. It was confirmed by Venezuelan Chancellor, Jorge Arreaza on his twitter account.
Anunciamos que el grupo de personas que de manera violenta ingresó a nuestra Embajada en Brasilia, ha abandonado nuestro territorio e instalaciones, de manera pacífica, por gestiones de las autoridades. Agradecemos a los movimientos sociales brasileños por su apoyo valeroso
— Jorge Arreaza M (@jaarreaza) November 13, 2019
Similarly, the Presidential Institutional Security Cabinet issued a statement stating that “there are unscrupulous individuals who want to take advantage of the events to generate disorder and instability,” and that the president of that country “was not aware of nor encouraged the invasion of the embassy of Venezuela, by supporters of Guaidó”.
The text states that security forces are taking steps to resolve the situation in a peaceful manner.
“We need help”
Local media indicate that the Venezuelan embassy was invaded by a group of 20 Guaidó supporters . The collected testimonies indicate that they jumped the wall and occupied the facilities with the purpose of forcing the exit of the personnel that were there.
The business manager of the Venezuelan Embassy, Freddy Efrain Meregote, recorded a video , shared by the Venezuelan Foreign Minister, where he appears next to the diplomatic and military personnel explaining that the Embassy “is being besieged at the present time,” after it was invaded this Wednesday at dawn. “We want to make the international community aware that we remain unconditionally in support of President Nicolás Maduro,” he added.
Meregote denied the information indicating that diplomatic headquarters officials helped the group to enter the premises, and in a conversation with a representative of the government of Jair Bolsonaro, he demanded that he be a guarantor of the security of Venezuelans being “in a situation of vulnerability”, according to a recording shared by the Brazilian deputy Paulo Pimenta in their networks.
Pimenta entered the rmbassy to denounce the attack on Venezuelan sovereignty and has asserted in a tweet that the Brazilian Executive supports “the paramilitary invasion” of the diplomatic headquarters.
“They recognize President Guaidó”
On the other hand, the one sent by the opposition deputy as “ambassador” of Brazil published a statement on her Twitter account stating that “a group of officials” of the Venezuelan embassy in that country contacted her to inform her that they ” recognize the President Juan Guaidó”.
Belandria says that, after that action, they opened the doors and voluntarily handed over the diplomatic headquarters.
In the text she writes “all officials accredited at the embassy and in the seven consulates of Venezuela are to adopt the same decision.”
Belandria, who was appointed in February as a ‘representative” of Venezuela by Guaido, presented her “credentials as ambassador of Venezuela” to the Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, on June 4.
Caracas withdrew its ambassador and froze diplomatic relations with Brasilia in 2016 following the “coup d’etat completed in Brazil against President Dilma Rousseff,” according to a statement from the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry at the time.
These types of events have already occurred with three Venezuelan diplomatic headquarters. One of them located in Washington, where finally those put in charge by Guaidó entered the building; in El Salvador, where President Nayib Bukele ordered that the personnel assigned to the Venezuelan representation in that country leave the place, and in Costa Rica, where there was an attempt to enter envoys from Guaidó, which was subsequently reversed.
Featured image: A Guaido supporter being punched by a local “Venezuelan Embassy Defender”
Source URL: RT News with OT content
Translated by JRE/EF
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