ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s United Nations envoy expressed concern over the escalation of tensions in Venezuela this week at a Security Council meeting, urging all parties to de-escalate and resolve the ongoing crisis through dialogue and diplomacy.
His comments came after the US military conducted air strikes in Venezuela last week, capturing the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, in an audacious raid and whisked him to New York to face drug-trafficking charges. US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Washington was running Venezuela through its pressure on Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez.
Speaking at an emergency meeting called by the UN Security Council to discuss the situation in Venezuela on Monday, Pakistan’s Acting Permanent Representative to the UN Usman Jadoon said Islamabad viewed the ongoing developments in the country with “profound concern.” He noted that the UN Charter enjoins nations to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state.
“At this critical juncture, the path forward must be one of dialogue and diplomacy,” Jadoon said at the high-level meeting. “Durable solutions to political differences can only be found through peaceful means, with full respect for the will of the Venezuelan people, free from any external interference.”
