The day after the U.S. military intervention in Caracas, five South American countries, along with Spain, rejected in a joint statement “any attempt at control” of Venezuela and called for “unity” in Latin America against “any action that endangers regional stability.” In a joint statement dated January 4, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, and Spain expressed their “rejection of the military actions carried out unilaterally on Venezuelan territory, which contravene the fundamental principles of international law,” as well as “any attempt at governmental control, administration, or foreign appropriation of natural or strategic resources.” “We reaffirm that the situation in Venezuela must be resolved exclusively by peaceful means, through dialogue, negotiation, and respect for the will of the Venezuelan people in all its forms, without external interference and in accordance with international law,” they stated the day after the U.S. army’s bombings in Venezuela and the kidnapping of its president Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. Reaffirming “their commitment to the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter,” the six signatory countries expressed concern for regional stability. “These actions constitute an extremely dangerous precedent for regional peace and security and endanger the civilian population,” they argued. Madrid Calls for “Respect for International Law” “We reaffirm the character of Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace […] and we call for regional unity, beyond political divergences, against any action that endangers regional stability,” can also be read in this statement, notably relayed on social media by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The latter had, as early as January 3, denounced the U.S. military operation. “Spain has not recognized the Maduro regime. But it will not recognize an intervention that violates international law and pushes the region toward a horizon of uncertainty and belligerence either,” Pedro Sánchez declared on X. “The recent violation of international law in Venezuela—an act we strongly condemn, just like the sufferings of the peoples of Ukraine and Palestine—reminds us how important it is for Spain to have a government that defends, always and everywhere, international law and the peaceful settlement of conflicts,” the Spanish Prime Minister further assured in a letter addressed to the Workers’ Socialist Party. For its part, Spanish diplomacy calls for the “peaceful settlement of conflicts and respect for international law.”
U.S. Intervention in Venezuela: Five South American Countries and Spain Oppose Any Attempt at Control
