Venezuela rejects new aggression from the European Union

Caracas, February 23 (RHC)-- The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry issued an official statement on Monday, strongly rejecting the decision of the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union to impose coercive measures against 19 officials of the country.

The new additions to the unilateral list of the European regional body include high-ranking dignitaries, magistrates and representatives of public authorities.  The Venezuelan statement describes the new interference maneuver as a reaction of the Euroopean Union "due to the manifest ineffectiveness of its actions" to force a change of regime in the South American nation.

"These erratic decisions also reveal the inability of the European bloc to attend to, respect and accept the will of the Venezuelan people, and is -- once again -- evidence of its anachronisticinterventionist policy towards Venezuela," the communiqué states.

Venezuela reiterated its call to the European Union to cease its systematic aggression and to abandon the neocolonial vestiges in its approach to Latin America.  It also advocated for a profound rectification within the European governments, which would allow the establishment of new relations of mutual respect for the reconstruction of trust.

The European Union approved this Monday new coercive measures against Venezuela, by adding 19 people to its list of sanctioned individuals, in response to the legislative elections of December 6 last, which it considered illegitimate and lacking in guarantees.