Venezuela qualifies EU sanctions as illegal, absurd and ineffective

The Bolivarian Government of Venezuela energetically rejected the alleged sanctions of the Council of the European Union against the country, which he described as illegal, absurd and ineffective, as well as ensuring that they seek to directly affect the Venezuelan people.

Through an official statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela, it is denounced that the sanctions approved by the EU violate international law and the principles of respect for sovereignty, self-determination of peoples and non-interference in the internal affairs of the states.

Jorge Arreaza M
@jaarreaza
“Communiqué by the Bolivarian Government of Venezuela in a strong rejection of the alleged coercive and illegal sanctions of the Council of the European Union against Venezuela. No interventionist action subordinated to @realDonaldTrump will cause us to abandon the path of Dialogue and Peace”
15:14 – Nov 13 2017

The document establishes that the European action is aligned to the conduct of Washington against Venezuela.

Here is the full text of the Communiqué:

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela strongly condemns the decision of the Council of the European Union to try to impose illegal, absurd and ineffective sanctions against the People of Venezuela. Brazenly violating International Law, and the sacred principles of respect for sovereignty, self-determination of peoples and non-interference in the internal affairs of states, established in the Charter of the United Nations, the European institutions demonstrate their regrettable and shameful subordination to the rulings of the government of the United States. Following the aggressive line of conduct of Washington, the European Council justifies its actions with arguments traced from the sanctioning documents that against Venezuela and its people the Trump administration has recently generated.

The European Council also intends to convince the world of a supposed consensus among its member states to adopt these hostile measures, when the reality is that the major European economies exerted considerable pressure on the rest of the bloc’s governments and on the EU institutions themselves , leaving in evidence the remarkable inequalities and absence of internal democracy in the “union”.

It is not simply coincidence that the Council of the European Union adopts these offensive actions on the eve of the revival of the National Dialogue Table in the Dominican Republic, announced both by the National Executive and by the Venezuelan opposition. Far from contributing to harmony and peace in Venezuela, the European Union has approved hostile decisions that only seek the failure of the National Dialogue and seek to favor those who have generated political violence, death and destruction, as mechanisms to access power through unconstitutional means . It is worth remembering that with the democratic election of the National Constituent Assembly, Venezuela has returned to political and social peace, the election of state governors was held recently and in absolute peace, and municipal elections will be held next December 10, as part of the vigorous electoral schedule of Venezuelan democracy.

It should be noted that these purported sanctions not only attack the Venezuelan people but also the almost one million Europeans who chose our country as their home and who have suffered directly from the political and economic violence generated by the opposition in recent months. The European Union also establishes a dangerous precedent in relations with Latin America, assuming the authority to sanction a sovereign country, only because its model of popular democracy does not fit in the elitist and corporate molds of European regimes.

The peoples of the world and the international community must know that the priority of Venezuela is not weapons or military equipment, and this inefficient media and political operation does not affect our internal security at all. The objective of the Bolivarian Government is to preserve national peace through dialogue and the pursuit of development with social justice, overcoming current problems.

Unlike countries that make up the European bloc, we do not seek to divert attention from problems, attacking other nations. The European Council should prevent that, as has been evidenced in recent days, the public order equipment be used in some of its member states, through the most unprecedented police repression, to avoid the sacred right to decide and develop electoral processes in democracy and in peace.

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela reaffirms its irrevocable independent and sovereign character, and denounces these hostile acts before the International Community. No decision of European elites and bureaucracies will succeed in breaking the sovereign decision of our people to be free. The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela demands that the European Union cease its unfriendly actions and distance itself from the warmongering and interventionist agenda of the US government that has done so much damage to our country and the world. We reiterate that the Venezuelan people, faithful to their libertarian heritage and defender of their independence, will stand firm against any attack or threat and that the Bolivarian Government of Venezuela reserves decision-making in different areas to guarantee the defense of peace and National sovereignty.

Caracas, November 13, 2017