St. Vincent and the Grenadines has described the action of Venezuelan opposition Leader, Juan Guaido, in declaring himself president of the South American country as “provocative” adding it has “a deep sense of unease and apprehension” about recent developments in Venezuela.
in a statement, the Ralph Gonsalves administration, which has strongly backed the Maduro government, said the decision by some Latin American countries to recognise Guaido “goes against the fundamental principle of non-interference into the internal affairs of a sovereign state which is established within the Organization of American States (OAS) Charter, the Inter-American Democratic Charter and the United Nations Charter”.
In its statement, Kingstown said that it is “dismayed at the provocative actions by the National Assembly President, Mr. Juan Guaido, which serves to destabilise severely order and the rule of law” within Venezuela.
“In order to maintain the democratic fabric of the Venezuelan society, the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines urges both the Government and Parliamentary opposition to engage in meaningful dialogue inclusive of civil society and the business community without recourse to any action which can further erode the rule of law and lead to violence and civil unrest.”
St. Vincent and the Grenadines government said that it was calling on all members of the OAS to respect the sovereignty of Venezuela, the legitimacy and legality of its government headed by President Maduro, and to promote an environment of peace and dialogue with a view to maintaining regional and hemispheric order for the peaceful co-existence among states.
Earlier this month, Jamaica, Haiti, the Bahamas, Guyana and St. Lucia supported a resolution at the OAS in not recognising the second five-year term of Maduro, while Dominica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname voted against the measure.
St. Kitts-Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, and Belize abstained during the vote while Grenada was not present.
“The Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines remains fully supportive of efforts to resolve through peaceful means, the current challenges and problems in Venezuela. The engendering of violence will not aid any necessary and desirable political solution.
We call on all parties to accord full respect to the rule of law, inclusive of the promotion of peace, order, and good governance,” the statements said.”
