CARACAS, November 11. /TASS/. Venezuela thanks Russia’s State Duma, or lower house of parliament, for supporting Venezuela’s sovereignty and calling on the world community to condemn the United States’ threats against it, the country’s foreign minister, Yvan Gil Pinto, said.

"On behalf of [Venezuelan] President Nicolas Maduro we express gratitude to the State Duma for its call on the international community, parliaments and the UN system to condemn the United States’ increased presence in the Caribbean, its threats against Venezuela and attacks on ships that have been branded by UN experts as extrajudicial execution," he wrote on his Telegram channel. "Venezuela values Russia’s firm solidarity for the defense of our sovereignty."

Earlier in the day, the Russian State Duma passed a draft appeal to parliaments of UN member countries and the global community over the escalation of tension in the Caribbean near Venezuela. The Russian lawmakers expressed support for and solidarity with the Venezuelan leadership in their efforts to defend the country’s national sovereignty and called on the world community to condemn the United States increased military presence in the region. The document stressed the importance of Venezuela’s stable and independent development.