LONDON, March 1. /TASS/. Russia’s Embassy in the United Kingdom has blasted as "the height of cynicism" London’s concerns over the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, noting that it has been sparked by the UK and the US.
"We hear a lot about the British concerns over the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. This is the height of cynicism," a spokesman for the Russian embassy said, noting that the crisis is the work of London and Washington, which "illegally keep in their banks billions of dollars owned by Venezuela and actually rob the country."
The United States is "shamelessly stifling Venezuelan economy by sanctions," he said. "Meanwhile, these countries are crying aloud about the sufferings of citizens and are persistently proposing accepting some handouts, and not by usual means through UN humanitarian agencies, but using the most provocative means by organizing an attempt of breaking through the Venezuelan border," he said.
The spokesman described as alarming London’s course on Caracas, recalling that until recently Venezuela has been off the radar for British diplomacy, but everything changed "with a different wind from Washington."
"Now London declares Venezuelan President [Nicolas Maduro] illegitimate and it says a condition for peace in the country is to hold free and fair elections as soon as possible. Last year’s election did not satisfy the British and the American partners standing behind them — this was not the desired result," he said.
According to the diplomat, amid unprecedented political and economic pressure from abroad Venezuelans are offered to vote for "right" candidate and then all their problems will be solved. "This is a blatant continuation of the line towards toppling undesired governments, which we saw not only in Latin America, but also in the Middle East and other regions," he stressed.
It’s up to Venezuelans to decide whether to hold or not to hold the election, and the goal of the international community is to contribute to dialogue between Venezuelan sides rather than to decide for them, the diplomat said. "It’s surprising that neither London nor Washington wants to understand this simple truth," he noted.
According to the diplomat, "forceful interference is illegal and it triggers catastrophic consequences" for people and the entire system of international law on which the world order is based. "We will provide assistance to constructive international mechanisms and initiatives aimed at contributing to national dialogue in Venezuela," the spokesman said.