Russia's Permanent Representative at the EU Vladimir Chizhov said "the US openly calls on the military of the country to defect to a self-proclaimed political leader"

ATHENS, March 1. /TASS/. Washington's interference into Venezuela's internal affairs disregards all international norms, Russia's Permanent Representative at the EU Vladimir Chizhov said on Friday at the 4th Delphi Economic Forum.

"Some of our 'prosecutors' feel free to impose on other countries their own views on how the latter should live in such a cynical manner that can be described as aboslute disregard for all norms of inter-state behavior," Chizhov said. "One does not need to go far to find examples: right now we are witnessing Washington's unprecedented interference in domestic affairs of Venezuela. The US openly calls on the military of the country to defect to a self-proclaimed political leader and threaten with persecution those who will remain faithful to their oath. Genuine economic terror is unleashed, sinister extra-territorial sanctions are introduced," he added.

"Washington managed to 'wear down' EU member states — except, I would particularly stress, Greece, Cyprus, Slovakia and Italy, as well as the Vatican — resulting in the fact that the 'International Contact Group' formed by the EU took a biased stance, and thereby deprived itself of the opportunity to act as an impartial mediator," the diplomat stressed.

"The situation around Venezuela is obviously a manifestation of a consistent systemic line to ruin the current architecture of world legal order, rather than a solitary case or unremarkable episode. Planting across the informaiton sphere unsupported accusations against certain countries of carrying out hideous chemcial attacks and immediately, without any judicial proceedings, imposing sancitons or even launching airstrikes are considered to be almost the norm today," he concluded.