Akel decries US’ ‘imperialist intervention’ in Venezuela
Akel on Saturday decried what it described as an “imperialist intervention” on the part of the United States in Venezuela, after US forces carried out airstrikes across the country and captured its President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.
“The imperialist intervention of the United States against Venezuela, as well as the kidnapping of the country’s elected President Nicolas Maduro and members of his family, on the orders of the far-right government of [US President] Donald Trump, constitute a flagrant violation of international law,” the party said.
It added that the act also constitutes a “blatant intervention in the internal affairs of a sovereign state”.
“These actions are not isolated. They are a part of the new US national security strategy, which revives and upgrades the Monroe doctrine, seeking to impose political, military and economic control over Latin America and the Caribbean,” it said.
The Monroe doctrine, named after the US’ fifth president James Monroe, who first articulated the concept, is the idea that European powers should no longer intervene in the Americas, though in modern parlance, some have argued that it is a declaration of US hegemony and a right of unilateral intervention in other states in the western hemisphere.
Akel on Saturday said that it is “no coincidence that Venezuela, the country with the largest oil reserves in the world, is being targeted”, and that it is also no coincidence that the same strategy is being extended to the region’s critical natural resources.
“Geopolitical and geoeconomic antagonism is being created so as to be resolved by means of violence, destabilisation and a violation of state sovereignty,” it said.
It added, “the military attack and the kidnapping of a sitting president of a state, without any authorisation from the United Nations or an international judicial body, directly violate the UN charter, the principle of sovereign equality of states, the prohibition of the use of force, and the fundamental rule of non-intervention”.
“Akel expresses its full solidarity with the people of Venezuela, who are faced with the aggression and barbarity of the US.”
Meanwhile, Volt said that “military force cannot be a substitute for diplomacy”.
“Any concerns Washington may have should be addressed through dialogue and multilateral cooperation in international fora, such as the United Nations, where peaceful solutions can and should be sought,” it said.
It also expressed “deep concern” over “the allegations made by [Trump] regarding the alleged kidnapping of [Maduro] and his wife and their removal from Venezuela, which, if true, would constitute a further serious violation of international law and national sovereignty.
“Volt condemns any violation of international law, regardless of the countries involved,” it said.
The only other Cypriot political party to publicly take a position on the matter on Saturday was Turkish Cypriot anarcho-communist party Bagimsizlik Yolu, which staged a protest outside the US embassy’s office in northern Nicosia.
There, the party’s foreign affairs secretary Salih Hayaloglu said that Bagimsizlik Yolu “stands with the Venezuelan people against imperialist barbarism”.
“Since [Maduro’s predecessor] Hugo Chavez, US imperialism has repeatedly tried to suppress the Venezuelan people’s will to self-determination through attempted coups d’état, and for decades has attempted to perturb Venezuela through economic embargoes, political pressure, sabotage, and systematic destabilisation policies,” he said.
He added that it is “crystal clear that this aggression is aimed at destroying Latin American countries and seizing their natural resources, especially oil and gas”.
“Down with US imperialism! Socialism or barbarism! Down with American imperialism!” he said at the conclusion of his speech.