Personal security will be increased for St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Ambassador to Venezuela Andreas Wickham after his home in Caracas was covered with graffiti accusing him of being “complicit with the dictatorship.”
During a meeting at Parliament Tuesday night, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves announced new arrangements for the ambassador’s security while labelling the act of aggression as a violation of the Vienna Convention, which dictates the protection of diplomats and their premises.
The incident, which occurred on June 9, is reported to have transpired in the afternoon when a small group of people passed by the home, banging on the rails and shouting.
Wickham and his wife Yvette, a minister counselor at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Caracas embassy, immediately notified Venezuelan authorities about the attack. Gonsalves was later notified by both Wickham and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sir Louis Straker.
“Clearly, there are some persons who are opposed to the stance of the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in taking a lead within CARICOM to defend the principle of the sovereignty and independence of a state and the principle of non-interference and non-intervention in a country’s international affairs,” the prime minister added.
According to Gonsalves, the ambassador is not intimidated by the incident and understands that the attack will not alter St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ position on Venezuela.
