• Latin America: Russian Foreign Minister visits Latin America to consolidate its influence in the region

The successful international tour of Juan Guaidó, legitimate president of the democratic Parliament, already has an answer in Caracas, as if it were an immediate exercise of weights and balances. The powerful Russian chancellor, Sergei Lavrov, and the former president of the Spanish Government, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, coincided today in Venezuela in an unexpected way.

The first, in the middle of his Latin American tour; the second, in his surprising return to the Venezuelan capital 14 months later, after singing the revolutionary "truth" in Spain in recent days. The main global ally and the greatest defender in Europe of the theses of the Government of Maduro, only a few hours after the double endorsement of the US president Donald Trump to Guaidó, whom he received in the White House in style and as president in charge of the country South American.

Lavrov tried to look conciliatory and support dialogue as the only way to solve the country's crisis, in the face of Trump's promise to "crush" the tyranny of Maduro. Therefore, after meeting with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, he met with the members of the "national dialogue table", the same one defended by Zapatero, in which he has included his trusted man in Caracas, Deputy Timoteo Zambrano .

A table conformed to Maduro, after breaking the 'son of Chávez' direct negotiations with the opposition, backed by Norway. In her participate small groups that cohabit with the Chavismo and with minimum parliamentary representation.

Rejection of sanctions

Lavrov also showed his teeth: he rejected US sanctions, saying they are to blame for Venezuela's economic crisis, and strongly criticized that Washington consider using force to overthrow Maduro. Words already intoned in Zapatero's latest interviews, which, like Russia, Cuba and Vice President Pablo Iglesias, recognize, directly or indirectly, the fraudulent directive imposed in January during the parliamentary coup against the National Assembly (AN). The true Parliament censored Zapatero's alleged mediation at the end of 2018 and declared him "inadmissible" because of his proximity to Maduro.

"The Venezuelan crisis stems from attempts to overthrow the legitimate government using all options, including the use of force. It would be this unacceptable scenario. The international community would condemn it," Putin’s foreign minister predicted to members of the false negotiation. .

The Russian Foreign Minister opted for this year's parliamentary elections as a tool to overcome the political conflict, and invited the "radical sectors" of the opposition to participate.

Although Lavrov's visit was short, just one day, the Russian government was responsible for magnifying it: it was accompanied by dozens of diplomats and journalists who followed him at each meeting. Maduro received him with honors in Miraflores, while political sources assured EL MUNDO that Zapatero's arrival was imminent .

"Lavrov's visit confirms that Russia is willing to continue its geopolitical effort against the US using the crisis in Venezuela, while taking advantage of the economic opportunities that Maduro has been giving it. The big question now is whether that support will continue in the case that the US decides to increase its sanctions on Rosneft, as it threatened this week. For Russia, preserving its access to the US market remains much more important than its economic activities, so it would soon have to decide whether to prioritize geopolitics over its economic benefits, "reflected the internationalist Mariano de Alba for EL MUNDO.

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  • Venezuela
  • Russia
  • Pablo Iglesias
  • Norway
  • Cuba
  • Donald Trump
  • Spain
  • Europe
  • José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
  • Juan Guaidó
  • Venezuela Elections

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