BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th February, 2021) The European Union regrets the Venezuelan authorities' decision to declare the head of the bloc's delegation in Caracas, Isabel Brilhante, persona non grata and calls for its reversal, an EU spokesperson told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
Caracas announced the decision earlier in the day in response to Brussels' recent move to add 19 Venezuelan officials to an EU sanctions list over their roles in "undermining democracy and rule of law" in the country.
"The EU profoundly regrets this decision, which will only lead to further international isolation of Venezuela. We call for this decision to be reversed. Venezuela will only overcome its ongoing crisis through negotiation and dialogue, to which the EU is fully committed but which this decision undermines directly," the spokesperson said.
Later on Wednesday, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza handed notes of protest to four European ambassadors over their countries' sanctions policy.
"Arreaza hands notes of protest ... to the diplomatic representatives of France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain in our country," the ministry said in a statement.
According to the ministry, the four countries in question "acted with special intent, encouraging new attacks with deterrent measures, the so-called sanctions against Venezuela."
The EU sanctioned some Venezuelan officials following parliamentary elections held in the Latin American country in early December. President Nicolas Maduro's party, Simon Bolivar Great Patriotic Pole, won over 91 percent of the vote, securing 253 out of 277 seats. According to the bloc, the voting process fell short of international standards and was a "missed opportunity for freedom."
