Venezuela recalls Brazil envoy over 'interventionist and rude statements'

31/10/2024 6:05

        The Venezuelan government on
        Wednesday said it was recalling its ambassador in Brazil over
        what it described as "repeated interventionist and rude
        statements" from Brasilia, adding it was also summoning Brazil's
        business envoy for talks.
        
        In a statement, Venezuela's foreign ministry singled out the
        Brazilian president's top foreign policy advisory Celso Amorim
        for "acting more like a messenger for North American
        imperialism" and accusing him of being "impertinently dedicated
        to issuing value judgments on processes that only correspond to
        Venezuelans and their democratic institutions."
        
        Brazil's government did not immediately respond to a request
        for comment.
        
        The head of Venezuela's parliament, Jorge Rodriguez, had
        earlier on Wednesday proposed that lawmakers vote on declaring
        Amorim a persona non grata after accusing him of behaving like
        an envoy for U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
        
        The diplomatic escalation comes after weeks of tensions
        following Venezuela's disputed presidential election in late
        July.
        
        After the vote, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da
        Silva joined many world leaders in calling for Venezuelan
        electoral authorities to publish official ballot-box tallies
        from the vote.
        
        Maduro's government has claimed victory but has yet to
        publish the tallies, while Venezuela's opposition has published
        thousands of scanned copies of voting machine receipts obtained
        by its election observers that it says show a landslide win for
        its candidate.
        
        Relations further soured earlier this month when Brazil
        vetoed Venezuela's admission into the BRICS group of emerging
        economies, which Venezuela has branded as an "inexplicable an
        immoral aggression."
        
        At least 600,000 Venezuelans have migrated to Brazil in
        recent years, according to Brazilian government data, while in
        2022 bilateral trade amounted to some $1.3 billion in Brazilian
        exports and $400 million in shipments from Venezuela.