Through a Telegram account, Pena reaffirmed to the Colombian diplomat that his country “is a strong state that protects its citizens and the Republic against any attempt at destabilization.”

There is no “humanitarian crisis.” There are people being prosecuted by the Venezuelan justice system, most of them linked to paramilitary groups that entered the country for violent purposes, and in response, the State has acted with the firmness required by law and the duty to preserve peace, he affirmed. He asserted that “no media pressure will prevent Venezuela from fulfilling its obligation to defend its sovereignty. This is not a ‘humanitarian crisis’; it is the rule of law acting,” he emphasized.

The Venezuelan deputy minister suggested that his counterpart avoid falling into the “microphone diplomacy” that so damages relations between our countries, “especially at a time when so many lies are told about the truth about our nations, and when the empire of the north attacks us and seeks to divide us.”

Venezuela does not attack, but neither does it allow itself to be attacked. “Defending the Republic firmly is not an option: it is a historic duty,” he emphasized.

In a statement, the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spoke of “making public the urgency of the humanitarian situation of at least 40 Colombians deprived of their liberty in Venezuelan territory.”

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