Maduro: This is the last OAS Assembly in which Venezuela participates.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro confirmed on Monday (4) that his country will leave the Organization of American States (OAS), after having started the withdrawal process 13 months ago.
247, with RT and AVN - "We denounced the OAS and we are going to leave this organization, which is the Ministry of Colonies. Confirmed: 13 months have already passed out of the 24 that we have to wait for (the withdrawal) to become effective," said the president during a meeting with the Political Bureau of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).
Maduro made this statement after Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza participated in a meeting of the hemispheric body that aimed to include, without consultation, the discussion of a point regarding the political situation of the South American nation.
"This is the last OAS General Assembly in which a Venezuelan foreign minister is participating," said the head of state, emphasizing that the day Venezuela's exit from the OAS is finalized will be a day of national jubilation.
Maduro also scorned the power of the OAS, which he called "useless," because "there is no international arena in the world where more time is wasted." "It is a useless organization that has unfortunately regressed and has once again become a ministry of the colonies of US imperialism," he stated.
In April of last year, Caracas initiated the process of denouncing Venezuela's membership in the Organization of American States (OAS), a protocol that takes 24 months to become effective. Venezuela believes that the principles of sovereignty, non-intervention, multilateralism, and equality of states have been violated within the OAS.
Blackmail campaign
Maduro denounced the United States' blackmail campaign against Latin American governments, aimed at undermining Venezuela's sovereignty.
"In recent weeks, the United States government has waged a criminal, macabre campaign of blackmail and threats against all governments in Latin America and the Caribbean. It has threatened to withdraw economic aid, funding opportunities, cut tourism and trade flows, and restrict immigration."
The president emphasized that this campaign aims to "end the independent development model" promoted by the commander and leader of the Bolivarian Revolution, Hugo Chávez.
In this sense, it reaffirmed the anti-imperialist character of the Venezuelan people, enabling them to confront all obstacles that the imperial powers promote in order to end the country's independence.
"A battle for the dignity of our America is now underway, and Venezuela is at the heart of this fight for dignity. We will emerge from it with moral strength," he emphasized.