CARACAS, March 19. /TASS/. The Venezuelan government has condemned opposition representatives taking control of the country's diplomatic properties in the United States.

"The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela announces to the international community that its diplomatic properties in the US are now controlled by people who enjoy oppen support from the US government and act as its agents, which represents a direct violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "Venezuela's diplomatic missions in the US can only be used by officially appointed diplomats who represent democratically elected and constitutional government of President Nicolas Maduro," the foreign ministry added.

The foreign ministry demanded that US authorities "take necessary measures to immediately stop" opposition representatives from occupying Venezuela's diplomatic properties in the US. "If the US government continues disregarding its international obligations, the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela reaffirms its right to take any legal and reciprocal actions on the territory of Venezuela," the ministry stressed.

On Monday representatives of the Venezuelan opposition said that they took control of the country's several diplomatic properties in the United States.