The Venezuelan government, through the Foreign Ministry, responded to a statement from the Brazilian Foreign Office (Itamaraty), in which they placed themselves in the role of victims of the Venezuelan response to the veto at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, when in reality they were the perpetrators and this is recognized by the international community.
The text of the Venezuelan response expresses its repudiation of the “indefensible statement drafted by the Brazilian Foreign Ministry (Itamaraty), in which it tries to deceive the international community, posing as victims in a situation where they have clearly acted as victimizers.”
He assures that Itamaraty’s veto against Venezuela in the BRICS has surprised “Brazilian, Venezuelan and Latin American society.”
It clarifies that Venezuela has clearly demonstrated “how Itamaraty has undertaken a brazen and rude aggression against the Constitutional President Nicolás Maduro Moros, the institutions and public powers, as well as Venezuelan society”, in what they consider a campaign that violates what is established in the principles of the United Nations Charter.
The text states that this attitude of the foreign ministry of the neighboring country violates even the Brazilian constitution, which in its mandate rejects interference in the internal affairs of other countries.
He adds that Itamaraty uses the arguments of having served as a witness in the Barbados Agreements, as an excuse to intervene in the internal affairs of Venezuela and is used as a “ruse that must cease immediately, since the aforementioned agreements were exclusively developed by Venezuelans.”
The text ends by urging the Foreign Ministry to desist from interfering in the internal affairs of Venezuela “avoiding deterioration of diplomatic relations between both countries”, for which they appeal to professional conduct in their actions.
Background
- Venezuela-Brazil relations began to strain in the midst of the electoral campaign for the presidential elections on July 28, when President Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva said he had been frightened by a statement from his Venezuelan counterpart regarding the post-election scenarios. “I was scared by Maduro’s statement that if he loses the elections there will be a bloodbath,” Lula said last July 21.
- “Whoever is scared should take a chamomile,” Maduro responded from San Carlos (Cojedes) during a rally on July 23.
- The news network CNN interpreted Maduro’s words with this headline: “Maduro warns of bloodbath if he does not win.”
- At the Cojedes rally, Maduro explained the meaning of his words. “This guy here has prevented a civil war in Venezuela several times. Chávez and the people saved Venezuela from several bloodbaths. I said that if, denied and transmuted, the extremist, Bolsonarist right, followers of Milei and Hitler, came to political power in Venezuela, there would be a bloodbath and it’s not that I say it inventing, no; “It’s just that we already lived it.”
Itamaraty statement
Below is the full text issued by the Brazilian Foreign Ministry (Itamaraty), in which they show their “surprise” at Venezuela’s reaction after the BRICS veto:
The Brazilian government observes with surprise the offensive tone adopted by the statements of the Venezuelan authorities in relation to Brazil and its national symbols.
The option for personal attacks and rhetorical escalations, replacing political and diplomatic channels, does not correspond to the respectful way with which the Brazilian government treats Venezuela and its people.
Brazil has always been very respectful of the principle of non-intervention and fully respects the sovereignty of each country and especially that of its neighbors.
The interest of the Brazilian government in the Venezuelan electoral process arises, among other factors, from its status as a witness to the Barbados Agreements, to which it was invited, as well as from its monitoring of the July 28 elections.
The Brazilian government remains convinced that partnerships must be based on frank dialogue, respect for differences and mutual understanding.
PRESS RELEASE No. 528 01/11/2024
