Maduro moves the headquarters of PDVSA from Lisbon to Moscow | Co …

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro yesterday ordered the transfer of the office of the national oil company Pdvsa from Lisbon to Moscow. The information was revealed by the Vice President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, at a conference in Russia with Sergei Lavrov and in which the latter's power was committed to continue sending humanitarian aid. "It's a way to strengthen our cooperation," Rodriguez said. He said the decision also responds to efforts to ensure the security of the country's badets. The vice president accused European countries of violating their own laws by freezing Venezuela's holdings in Western banks and described armed robbery.

"Today, Venezuela is experiencing a special moment in which it is victim of a multifaceted aggression led by the United States," Rodriguez said at the start of his public appearance, thanking Russia for its commitment to the Caribbean country. The head of the Russian diplomacy, for his part, expressed the solidarity of President Vladimir Putin: "We cooperate closely and coordinate our actions on the international scene". Lavrov also spoke of the offensive against Venezuela of the United States and its allies: "We will categorically neutralize these attempts at shameless interference and defend the ideals, norms and principles of the Charter of Nations. United ". Concerned, the minister said that knowing the approaches of the US government does not exclude military intervention. In this sense, Lavrov alerted Rodriguez about the possibility that Washington violates all possible international standards. According to the minister, the US special envoy because Venezuela, Elliot Abrams, does not hide that one of his functions is not the search for a peaceful solution to the crisis in this country of Latin America. "Abrams seeks exclusively to stir up tension, to create a situation that causes, as the United States wants, an explosion, the bloodshed in Venezuela, which justifies a military intervention," Lavrov said. While hoping that Washington will act sensibly, the head of the Russian diplomacy said he has information baduring him that the United States is planning to buy small arms, mortars, missiles and other weapons to send to neighboring countries of Venezuela. According to Lavrov, the transport of arms would be done with the help of Ukraine. In an attempt to ease tensions, he sent a message to Venezuela's neighboring countries and asked them to abide by his words and not support military intervention. "I hope the absolute rejection, I would say universal, in the world of armed solutions will cool Washington's hot heads, although there is nothing that can stop," he predicted. .

In humanitarian matters, Rodriguez pointed out that Maduro had given clear instructions that the food and medicine needed by the country should be acquired in Russia. He also recalled that Venezuela had informed the Contact Group of the European Union that it was willing to pay nearly two billion dollars in aid.

The Venezuelan opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, promised a few weeks ago to send humanitarian aid collected at the border with Cúcuta and on the border with Brazil. However, the plan failed and the only result was several clashes between the opposition and the Bolivarian National Guard. From the first moment, Russia denounced the fact that the help that the Venezuelan opposition was trying to enter Venezuela could contain arms and food. That is why, yesterday, Mr. Lavrov declared inadmissible the use of humanitarian aid for political purposes and asked that this conflict be resolved differently. "Humanitarian aid can not be used to justify interventionist objectives," Lavrov concluded.

Last week, Moscow accused the United States of using humanitarian aid as a pretext for military action to overthrow Maduro. And this week, he again pressed against the actions of US power and at the UN Security Council, he vetoed Washington's proposal for an election. Rodriguez 's visit is the first visit of a senior Venezuelan leader after the crisis unleashed in January when the opposition, Juan Guaidó, proclaimed himself acting president.