Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López. Photo: AFP/Federico Parra.
Venezuelan Defense Minister Major General Vladimir Padrino López condemned the interventionist remarks of the secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, regarding Venezuela’s consultative referendum on the disputed Essequibo territory.
On Wednesday, after an OAS session in which the prime minister of Guyana accused Venezuela of intending to annex Essequibo, OAS chief Almagro called on Venezuela to “wait for the decision of the International Court of Justice… and stop intimidating actions.”
In response, Venezuelan Defense Minister Padrino branded Almagro as a “hitman” whose only job is following orders from the US Southern Command, without taking into account the legal and historical basis in favor of Venezuela in the Essequibo dispute.
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“The attitude of this hitman, a known enemy of Venezuela, is not surprising,” Padrino López stressed in a post on X. “This sad character, following the orders of the US Southern Command, takes shots at us from the OAS, without having the slightest idea of the legal and historical reasons in our favor regarding the Esequibo. It is really nauseating!”
¡ALERTAS! pic.twitter.com/XVGJqnyJmc
— Vladimir Padrino L. (@vladimirpadrino) November 2, 2023
Padrino added that the Venezuelan government will follow the Bolivarian practice of peaceful diplomacy that advocates for the fulfillment of the provisions of the 1966 Geneva Agreement to solve the Essequibo dispute.
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“Venezuela ratifies its Bolivarian position of peaceful diplomacy to provide a practical, peaceful and mutually acceptable solution by both parties, in accordance with the Geneva Agreement. This is the only way!” he wrote in the post.
No sorprende la actitud de este sicario, enemigo declarado de Venezuela. Este triste personaje, siguiendo el guion del Comando Sur de los EEUU, dispara desde la #OEA sin tener la más mínima idea de las razones jurídicas e históricas que nos asisten como pueblo entorno al… https://t.co/cqPBUsdDJo
— Vladimir Padrino L. (@vladimirpadrino) November 2, 2023
Similarly, Gerardo Blyde, chief spokesperson of the opposition party Unitary Platform’s delegation to Venezuelan government, reproached Almagro for his silence on the illegal oil concessions granted by the government of Guyana to ExxonMobil in the international waters disputed between Venezuela and Guyana.
“Your silence on concessions in the disputed territory and even in the waters that belong to Venezuela and that are not in dispute is serious,” Blyde responded to Almagro in a post on X. “At least be impartial. The Essequibo is a State matter that involves all Venezuelans, regardless of who is in government.”
(Últimas Noticias) by Larry Márquez
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ
