The Bolivarian Government of Venezuela reaffirms its condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, denounces to the international community the unfriendly and hostile actions of the Government of the United States of America.
In a statement issued by the Venezuelan People’s Power Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Venezuela qualifies as irrational the decision from Washington to classify the Venezuelan people as a terrorist threat.
1. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela categorically rejects the irrational decision of the Government of the United States of America to once again catalog the noble Venezuelan people as a threat to their national security, this time under false assumptions that they pose a terrorist threat and to American public order.
2. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, endorsing the New York Political Declaration, adopted unanimously on 20 March 2017 by the 120 Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), reaffirms its strong condemnation of the promulgation and implementation of unilateral coercive measures in flagrant violation of the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations of international law and of the rules governing friendly relations and cooperation between States.
3. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in reaffirming its position of principles regarding the condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, denounces to the international community the unfriendly and hostile actions of the Government of the United States of America, which seek to stigmatize to our nation under the pretext of combating terrorism, by including it in a list drawn up unilaterally and accusing other States of being supposed promoters of this terrible scourge. This kind of listing, it is worth emphasizing, is incompatible with international law and constitute in itself a form of psychological and political terrorism. Our people are also being punished for their pacifist vocation, as well as for their tolerance and respect for the different religions and beliefs that are professed freely and harmoniously in our country.
4. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela denounces to the free peoples of the world that this action, in addition to being part of the already denounced campaign of systematic aggression against our country, seeks to justify the use of serious issues such as the fight against terrorism as a a means to achieve political objectives, while at the same time trying to sow a wrong opinion in the American population and to put pressure on the institutions of the Venezuelan State and the alleged public officials sanctioned with the recently adopted measure to coerce or force a change in the Venezuelan Government.
5. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in exercise of its sovereign rights, repudiates the imperial behavior of the Government of the United States of America and informs that, in accordance with the principle of reciprocity, it will consider all measures necessary to defend the interest and national sovereignty.
Caracas, September 25, 2017
