Colombian Leader Calls For Boycotting Venezuela Amid Mass Migrant Influx

Colombian Leader Calls for Boycotting Venezuela Amid Mass Migrant Influx

Colombian President Ivan Duque has called on the global community to boycott Caracas amid the mass exodus of Venezuelan migrants triggered by a deepening crisis within the country.

MEXICO CITY (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) Colombian President Ivan Duque has called on the global community to boycott Caracas amid the mass exodus of Venezuelan migrants triggered by a deepening crisis within the country.

"The world should isolate the Venezuelan regime," Duque said on Tuesday during his debate with Robert Malley, CEO of the non-governmental International Crisis Group, as quoted by Colombian NTN24 tv channel.

Duque qualified the migrant flow coming from Venezuela as "apocalyptic," claiming that this was the greatest humanitarian crisis in the history of Latin America.

However, the Colombian president emphasized that he did not support the idea of military intervention in Venezuela.

"Military invasion is not a way out," he stressed.

Duque also added that he did not plan to promote Colombian ambassador's return to Caracas.

Venezuela is currently facing a deep political and economic crisis prompted by the oil prices decrease and the consequent fall of state revenue. While the country is shaken by mass protests, scores of Venezuelans are fleeing the tough situation abroad, with the number of Venezuelans who left the country since 2015 reaching 2.3 million people, according to the UN estimates. Colombia has borne the brunt of the mass exodus as at least 1 million Venezuelans fled to this country.

Over the past years, Colombia and Venezuela have recalled their ambassadors multiple times amid tense relations between the two neighboring countries. In the most recent case in May, Colombia recalled its ambassador to Venezuela after Nicolas Maduro was re-elected as the Venezuelan president. Bogota refused to recognize election results. Tensions escalated further after the assassination attempt on Maduro in August. Caracas accused Bogota, particularly Colombian ex-president Juan Manuel Santos, of having a role in the attack. The Colombian Foreign Ministry denied any involvement of Bogota in the assassination attempt on Maduro.