Venezuela objects statements by Colombian President Iván Duque

The Minister of People’s Power for Foreign Relations, Jorge Arreaza, replied the statements of Colombian President Iván Duque, which are related to the case of former neo-granadinean senator Aída Merlano, who was detained in recent days in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and charged with various crimes.

The Venezuelan Chancellor recalled through his Twitter account @jaarreaza, the timely denunciation by the National Executive in the sense that, since Iván Duque assumed the presidency of his country, all communication between Colombian and Venezuelan institutions were broken.

From Colombia, he warned, they organize armed attacks against Venezuela and protect coup-plotting and magnicidal criminals.

“IRRESPONSIBLE! Timely we denounce that since the day that @IvanDuque took office, the Colombian institutions broke all communication with the Venezuelans. From Colombia they organize armed attacks against Venezuela and protect coup and assassination criminals https://t.co/”Y5CB7uzt3a

    – Jorge Arreaza M (@jaarreaza) January 29, 2020

The Special Action Forces (Faes) of the Bolivarian National Police arrested last Monday in Maracaibo, capital of the border state of Zulia, to the former Colombian congresswoman, requested by the justice of her country for the commission of various illicit facts.

The former legislator entered the Venezuelan territory illegally in the company of an undocumented Colombian citizen, as explained on Instagram the director of Faes, Miguel Dominguez.

“Both were transferred and placed at the order of the Public Ministry. We will continue working to guarantee the security, peace and sovereignty of our people! ”, said the director of the police force.

On Tuesday, the Venezuelan Public Ministry accused the Colombian former senator for the crimes of usurpation of identity, use of false documents and association to commit crimes. Her companion, later identified as Yeico Manuel Vargas Silvera, was charged with cover-up and association to commit crimes.

“Both will be deprived of liberty in a detention center duly provided by the Venezuelan judicial authorities,” said Attorney General Tarek William Saab.

President Nicolás Maduro referred to the case on Tuesday and denounced that the extremist and ideological policy of his Colombian counterpart generated setbacks in terms of security and cooperation between the two countries:

“I laughed a lot today, because the president of Colombia, Iván Duque, said that he was going to ask Juan Guaidó for the extradition of this person [Aída Merlano], captured by the legitimate authorities of Venezuela. It is a real ridicule, because in here there are legitimate authorities, established powers”, he said in a meeting with the United Socialist Party of Venezuela in reference to a statement issued in recent days by the Colombian government.

Although President Nicolás Maduro announced the rupture of diplomatic relations with Bogotá in February 2019, given the threats against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Venezuela looming from Colombia, the national government previously denounced the refusal of the Colombian authorities to establish Dialogue mechanisms with Venezuelans, taking into account the huge border shared by both countries.