MOSCOW, June 25. /TASS/. The strategic alliance of Russia and Venezuela continues to develop and grow, despite complications, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said in an interview for Rossiya 24 TV channel.
He noted that the strategic alliance of the two nations was the main talking point during his June 24 meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
"[The alliance] encompasses political, economic, trade cooperation, cooperation in energy, an entire complex of relations. Even despite the complications of the recent years, this alliance continues to grow, widen and become stronger," Arreaza said.
"We know that we can always rely on Russia, its respect for the international law, its respect for Venezuela’s sovereignty, on its assistance in overcoming specific problems. Thanks to this, it is not only our bilateral relations that develop. Thanks to Russian support, Venezuela manages to resist US’s strict sanctions and blockade against the Venezuelan people," the Foreign Minister said.
The political crisis in Venezuela escalated on January 23, 2019, when Juan Guaido, Venezuelan opposition leader and parliament speaker, whose appointment to that position had been cancelled by the country’s Supreme Court, declared himself an interim president at a rally in the country’s capital of Caracas. Several countries, including the United States, most of the EU states, Lima Group members (excluding Mexico), Australia, Albania, Georgia and Israel, as well as the Organization of American States, recognized him.
Incumbent President of the country Nicolas Maduro, in turn, blasted the move as a coup staged by Washington and said he was severing diplomatic ties with the US. In contrast, Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Syria and Turkey voiced support for Maduro.