The European Union has released a statement on the events in Venezuela, saying that the principles of international law must be respected and the will of the country’s people must be respected.
According to a statement on the website of the EU diplomatic service, the statement of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs was supported by 26 out of 27 member states. Hungary is not listed among the signatories, the reason for this is not specified.
The US attacked Venezuela on 3 January and captured its President Nicolas Maduro.
“The European Union calls for calm and restraint from all participants to avoid escalation and ensure a peaceful solution to the crisis. The EU recalls that in all circumstances the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected. Members of the United Nations Security Council have a special responsibility to respect these principles as the foundation of the international security architecture,” the statement said.
The EU also said Maduro lacked democratic legitimacy and called for a transition to a democracy in the country defined by the will of the Venezuelan people.
“Respect for the will of the Venezuelan people remains the only way for Venezuela to restore democracy and resolve the current crisis,” the statement said, adding that the EU shares the priority of fighting organised crime and drug trafficking.
Such challenges should be addressed “through sustained co-operation with full respect for international law and the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty,” the statement said.
Hungarian authorities have not yet commented on why they did not support the EU statement.
On the night of 3 January, US troops struck military facilities in Venezuela’s capital Caracas and captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Celia Flores. US authorities do not consider Maduro to be the legitimate president of Venezuela and accuse him and Flores of conspiring to engage in “narco-terrorism,” importing cocaine, and storing weapons and explosive devices for use against the US.
On the evening of January 3, they were taken to a detention centre in Brooklyn.
Maduro and Flores are scheduled to make their first appearance in federal court in New York City in January. There they will be formally informed of the charges against them.