Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza stressed on Monday that the government of Nicolas Maduro prefers diplomacy to solve the ongoing political crisis, but is ready for any scenario, and will retaliate if the United States chooses to take military action.
“We are prepared for any scenario… If [the US] prefers the military path, we are ready to resist — we have an army, police, our people, and we are ready to destroy any army, no matter how powerful it is”, he said, adding that Caracas has consistently called on Washington to resolve all issues through dialogue.
The foreign minister continued on by saying that the number of Russian military experts in Venezuela may be increased.
“I would like to remind [you] that a large part of military equipment in Venezuela is Russian… [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin has offered us the best equipment that exists now and it allowed us to create a strong defense structure. All this requires maintenance. We need to improve it, exchange information. Currently, there is a commission of specialists in Venezuela, of course, it can be expanded”, Arreaza told reporters.
Arreaza then claimed that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Venezuelan opposition have devised a plan to oust Maduro.
The foreign minister’s comments come shortly after Juan Guaido, Venezuela’s self-proclaimed interim president, told the BBC that he “will evaluate all options if necessary” when asked if he would welcome US military intervention.
Guaido claims that it is “clearly visible that the armed forces no longer support Maduro”.
“I think the only one who really hurts himself is Maduro. He has been losing again and again. He is increasingly weak, increasingly alone, and has no international support. On the contrary, we gain acceptance, support and future options”, he said speaking with The Washington Post.
“That’s great news to Venezuela because we are evaluating all options. It’s good to know that important allies like the US are also evaluating the option. That gives us the possibility that if we need cooperation, we know we can get it”, Guaido told WP.
Last week, Guaido encouraged civilians and soldiers to join his so-called “Operation Freedom”.
Venezuela has been mired in an ongoing political crisis since early January when Guaido was elected the head of the opposition-led National Assembly that all other government branches have been refusing to recognize since 2016.
In mid-January, two days after the Venezuelan Supreme Court annulled his election, Guaido proclaimed himself interim president in defiance of President Maduro, who was sworn in for a second term on 10 January.
Guaido’s move was immediately recognized by the United States and the Lima Group. More than 50 countries around the world today support Guaido, while Maduro has the continuing support of Russia.
