MEXICO CITY (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th April, 2019) Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez denounced the United States' latest round of economic sanctions targeting Venezuela's oil sector as "economic piracy."
On Friday, the United States sanctioned 34 vessels tied to the Venezuelan PDVSA oil company, controlled by the government of President Nicolas Maduro, and two companies that allegedly transport oil from Venezuela to Cuba. Moreover, a senior official from the administration of US President Donald Trump said the latest round of sanctions was introduced at the request of the Venezuelan opposition-led National Assembly.
"I denounce the escalation of #US "Monroeist" aggressions against #OurAmerica and the use of scandalous lies against #Cuba. I strongly reject the new economic piracy measures adopted by Washington to damage #Venezuela and steal its resources. They'll fail," Rodriguez wrote on Twitter on Friday.
Venezuela has long been suffering from an acute economic crisis exacerbated by the US sanctions against the country.
Moreover, since January, the country has seen political turmoil which erupted when opposition leader Juan Guaido, supported by the United States, proclaimed himself Venezuela's interim president. Moreover, Washington froze PDVSA's US-based oil assets in a bid to step up pressure on Maduro.
Maduro, supported by China and Russia among other states, in his turn, slammed the US "imperialist" moves and accused Guaido of plotting to overthrow him with backing from Washington.
