Iran Press/America: Jorge Arreaza on Monday stressed that Caracas prefers diplomacy to solve the ongoing crisis, but is ready for any scenario to take action against possible military intervention by the United States and will certainly retaliate.
The comments by Venezuelan Foreign Minister came shortly after opposition leader Juan Guaido confirmed that he is considering international intervention and would welcome US military action against Caracas legitimate government, Sputnik reported.
"If the US prefers the military path, we are ready to resist — we have an army, police, and people. We are ready to destroy any army no matter how powerful it is", Arreaza said.
The Venezuelan foreign minister said that the number of Russian military experts in Venezuela may be increased. "Large part of Venezuela military equipment is Russian … All this equipment requires maintenance. We need to exchange military maintenance information and Russian military experts are providing advice and consultation," Arreaza told reporters.
In further remarks, Arreaza said the CIA and the Venezuelan opposition have devised a plan to oust elected president Maduro in order to get hold of the country's natural resources.
Even though Guaido's coup attempt fizzled out last week, with no substantial backing by either the military or the people of Venezuela, he still claims the "Venezuelan army no longer support Maduro".
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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 legitimate President Maduro, who was sworn in for a second term on 10 January.
Guaido’s move was immediately recognized by the United States, while Maduro blasted Guaido as a US “puppet” and dismissed the entire situation as a coup attempt staged by Washington.
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