Greek Ruling Party Syriza Condemns Coup Attempt in Venezuela - Official
Greek ruling party Syriza has condemned the attempted coup in Venezuela from the very beginning, and its position remains unchanged even although it differs from the government's official position, Panos Trigazis, the coordinator of Syriza's international department, told Sputnik in an interview
Syriza condemned the attempted coup in Venezuela from the very beginning, but the Greek government supported early elections in Venezuela, though refusing to recognize the self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido as the country's legitimate leader.
"First of all, it should be clarified that Greece is not a Soviet Union, and the state is not identical with the party. The government, because it participates in the European Union, can take any position. The party can have its own, different position," Trigazis said.
Syriza never said that it opposed the Nicolas Maduro government in Venezuela, he stressed.
"No one can declare himself president by speaking at a rally. This is a decline of democracy. It is as if the chairman of the Greek parliament, Nikos Voutsis, comes out at a rally and says 'I am the prime minister, not [Greek Prime Minister and Syriza leader Alexis] Tsipras,'" Trigazis said.
Tsipras was the only European leader who had attended Fidel Castro's funeral, the politician recalled.
Trigazis praised the democratic changes in Latin America, saying that Europe should follow its example and oppose neoliberalism.
"We warmly supported the Bolivarian revolution of Hugo Chavez.
After Chavez's death, things did not go well in Venezuela. Maduro did not cope as good as Chavez, there were many problems in the country. Economic issues are key to stability and democracy in the country," the official said.
He refuted media reports that Venezuela allegedly helped and financed Syriza.
"No, nobody helped us. We ourselves have achieved everything in Greece with the support of the Greek people," Trigazis said.
The South American country has been gripped by an economic crisis for years. Over the recent weeks, the crisis was exacerbated by the political turmoil amid mass protests against Maduro.
On January 5, lawmaker Juan Guaido was elected the head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, which all other government branches have been refusing to recognize since 2016. On January 23, two days after the Venezuelan Supreme Court annulled his election, Guaido declared himself the country's "interim president." Maduro, who was sworn in for his second presidential term on January 10 after winning the May election, which part of the opposition boycotted, qualified Guaido's move as an attempt to organize a coup orchestrated by Washington.
The United States immediately recognized Guaido, after which some 50 other countries, including Colombia, followed suit. Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia and a number of other states have voiced their support for the legitimate government of Maduro. Mexico and Uruguay have refused to recognize Guaido, declaring themselves neutral and promoting crisis settlement via dialogue.