Venezuela Rejects ‘Cynical’ US Report on Terrorism: ‘Sanctions Are the Real Terror’

The Venezuelan government has rejected Washington’s continuous weaponization of its alleged fight against terrorism.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken presented to the US Federal Register a report singling out Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria for “not cooperating fully with United States antiterrorism efforts.” Caracas responded by reaffirming its commitment to combat terrorism and criticizing the political nature of the US’ “unfounded accusations.”

“Every year, we have fulfilled our national and multilateral obligations in this sensitive area,” read the statement published by Foreign Affairs Minister Yván Gil.

The communique pointed out Washington’s “cynical” stance on the matter, recalling that the US government gave refuge to “confessed terrorists” such as CIA-trained Cuban-born Luis Posada Carriles and Orlando Bosch, involved in the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner that killed 73 people and a string of sabotage attacks on consulates and travel agencies. Both resided in Venezuela at the time of the terrorist operations and escaped to Miami, Florida, where they lived freely. Neither was ever extradited despite orders emitted in 2005 by Venezuelan justice authorities.

“During two centuries of the Monroe Doctrine, there are plenty of examples of terrorist practices against our region that have been covered and encouraged by Washington,” emphasized the statement.

Caracas likewise condemned the US’ “infamous war on terror” that has cost a reported 4.5 million lives around the world and exacerbated global insecurity with the proliferation of extremist groups.

The communique added that “coercion as foreign policy is the real terrorism,” with one-third of the planet currently targeted by Washington’s economic, political, and financial measures which have hindered countries’ development.

Since 2017, Venezuela has been under a wide-reaching sanctions program. The oil industry has been targeted by financial sanctions, an oil embargo, secondary sanctions and a bevy of other measures from the US Treasury Department with the goal of crippling the country’s main source of foreign income. The blockade exacerbated an ongoing economic and migration crisis in the South American country.

“Venezuela reiterates its call for the US to respect international law and return to the practice of diplomacy in order to strengthen world peace,” finished the statement.

The Caribbean nation has repeatedly denounced Washington’s economic war as well as the illegality of sanctions. On Wednesday, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez alerted to the dangers of US dollar hegemony as it allows Washington to control the international financial system through the SWIFT platform and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF-Gafi), the G7 global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog.

"Twenty-three years ago the world’s main trading partner was the United States, now that role is occupied by a Eurasian nation," said Rodríguez in reference to China during the second Eurasian Economic Forum held in Moscow. Beijing has become a significant ally and trading partner for Venezuela and Latin America in recent decades.

Rodríguez stressed that the reconfiguration of the world for one where justice, equality, and respect prevail will always be met with resistance by the hegemonic power, but reassured that the Eurasian region will eventually lead the world’s economy.

Over 2,700 representatives from 50 countries participated in the conference which centered on Eurasian integration in a multipolar world.

In recent years, Venezuela has broken the international diplomatic blockade imposed by Washington and has been present in the world’s most important multilateral forums while also re-establishing ties with Latin American countries.

On Wednesday, President Nicolás Maduro celebrated the renewal of bilateral relations with Brazil after President Lula da Silva accepted the credentials of Manuel Vadell, appointed by Caracas as the new Venezuelan ambassador in Brasilia.

“The reestablishment of bilateral relations between Brazil and Venezuela, with good spirit and commitment, is a great step forward,” Maduro wrote on Twitter.