Caracas, October 25 (teleSUR-RHC) -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro fought back at what he described as "interventionist comments" of Spanish President Mariano Rajoy, after he made critical remarks to Lilian Tintori, wife of jailed Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, about the South American country's democracy.

"He simply does not have the moral authority to talk about Bolivarian Venezuela; Venezuela is to be respected, Mister Rajoy," stated Maduro, who instructed Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Minister Rafael Ramirez to review the country's diplomatic ties with Spain.

In comments broadcast live on state television channel, VTV, Maduro pointed out that the Spanish president would be better off looking closer to home for political weaknesses and examples of political repression.

"Go and talk about the disaster that you're inflicting on Spain and the Spanish people… You have flagrantly evicted 700,000 Spanish people from their homes. Why don't you sort out those problems? 52 percent of the Spanish youth is unemployed and living in poverty; 12 percent of Spanish workers live in poverty," Maduro added.

The leader of Spain´s conservative "People's Party," Rajoy met with Tintori earlier this week in Madrid, where he said he was concerned about issues such as freedom of expression and the right to free protest in Venezuela, although he did not make statements to the ongoing legal case against Lopez, leader of Venezuela's right wing ¨Popular Will¨ party.

Lopez was arrested on February 18th and is currently facing trial for his role in violent protests which rocked the country earlier this year and which cost the lives of over 40 Venezuelans. He is facing charges related to hate speech, damage to public property and of inciting public violence.