Venezuela rejects Obama's statements.
A statement of condemnation from the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry demands that the US government explain "why it finances, encourages, and defends opposition leaders who promote violence" and classifies Barack Obama's statements about the protests in the country as "gross interference"; yesterday, Obama asked Nicolás Maduro's government to release the protesters and pay attention to the "legitimate demands" of the people.
Leandra Felipe* - Correspondent Agência Brasil/EBC
The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry released a statement on Thursday, the 20th, condemning the declarations of US President Barack Obama regarding the protests in Venezuela. "We repudiate the gross interference of the President of the United States in the internal affairs of the Nation [Venezuela]," the statement said.
The text asks the United States government to explain "why it finances, encourages, and defends opposition leaders who promote violence." The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said that the American government continues "attacking a free and sovereign country in Latin America, whose policies, orientations, and decisions are the result of the popular will, expressed democratically."
Following the protests, Nicolás Maduro's government denounced the suspected involvement of US diplomats in financing and supporting the violent acts carried out during the student demonstrations in the country. As a result, three diplomats were expelled from the country earlier this week.
The Venezuelan government stated that it will continue monitoring and taking the necessary measures to "prevent American agents from implanting violence and destabilization in the country."
In his statements yesterday (19), Obama said that the violence during the demonstrations was "unacceptable" and demanded the release of the detained protesters.
*With information from the multi-state TV network Telesur