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Russian ambassador warns against politicizing Venezuelan humanitarian aid

According to Vladimir Zaemsky, Moscow gives an example of how to settle this task in a civilized way
Venezuela's Deputy Healthcare Minister Gerardo Briceno (L) and Russian Ambassador to Venezuela Vladimir Zayemsky during a ceremony to hand over shipment of drugs and medical equipment sent from Russia to Venezuela Valery Sharifulin/TASS
Venezuela's Deputy Healthcare Minister Gerardo Briceno (L) and Russian Ambassador to Venezuela Vladimir Zayemsky during a ceremony to hand over shipment of drugs and medical equipment sent from Russia to Venezuela
© Valery Sharifulin/TASS

CARACAS, February 22. /TASS/. The countries showing interest in solving the Venezuelan crisis should neither politicize humanitarian aid nor use it to "flex military muscles," Russian Ambassador to Venezuela Vladimir Zaemsky told a ceremony of handing over Russia’s cargo with medicines and medical equipment to Venezuela in the framework of the World Health Organization (WHO).

"The developments in Venezuela have recently dominated international media agenda," the ambassador said. "In particular, the issues linked to delivering the so-called humanitarian assistance have been actively discussed. In this regard I want to underline that our country gives an example of how to solve this task in a civilized way."

"We are not politicizing humanitarian assistance and are delivering it through well-known channels of respective international organizations," the diplomat said. "I’m convinced that other countries declaring concerns over the situation in Venezuela should have acted in the same way, in any case without turning this purely technical issue into an apple of discord and more over not to flex their military muscles here."

The issue of delivering humanitarian assistance to Venezuela has become crucial in the ongoing political crisis in the country. The opposition says it is ready to make every effort to deliver cargos from Colombia and Brazil. The Venezuelan government insists that the assistance can be sent only in the framework of international law and is not planning to let the cargos collected by the opposition cross the border.

On Thursday, Russia delivered nearly 7.5 tonnes of medicines, medical equipment and instruments to Venezuela as part of its contribution to the World Health Organization.