The Minister of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs, Jorge Arreaza, reported on Tuesday that Venezuela, by instructions of the President of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro, will raise the denounce of the attack to its consulate in Bogotá, Colombia, to the Secretary General of the Organization of Nations United (UN), António Guterres.
In his statements, the senior official stated that once again Venezuela was attacked by action and omission, and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations was violated, “as a product of the aggression against our Consular section in Colombia”.
He pointed out that this event, which occurred at the consulate in Bogotá last Monday, reveals the clear failure of the Colombian Government to comply with the provisions of Article 45 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which reads: “In case of rupture of the Diplomatic relations between two States, or if a mission is definitively or temporarily terminated, the receiving State shall be obligated to respect and protect, even in the event of armed conflict, the premises of the mission as well as its property and archives”.
“The offices were destroyed, everything was smashed, the windows, they smashed valuable material (…) It was not only a violent incursion, but they also stole documents. The Colombian Government was obliged to take care of the Venezuelan mission, even if our relations are in cessation”, he sentenced.
Arreaza urged the Colombian State to investigate and respond to its international obligations and compensate the Venezuelan State: “We hope that the investigations will find those responsible for action, and that those responsible for omission, that is, the Colombian State, will respond for its obligations, and somehow compensate the Venezuelan State”.
During the announcement Arreaza showed images of the headquarters of the Consulate and the Embassy of Colombia in Caracas, in perfect condition. And he stressed that Venezuela protects these facilities because it is their duty.
