CANADA RETALIATES BY EXPELLING VENEZUELAN DIPLOMAT
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| Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been in power since 2013 |
Canada has said it will expel a top Venezuelan diplomat and bar the
South American country's ambassador from returning to Ottawa, in a tit-for-tat
move amid an escalating diplomatic row.
The announcement by Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia
Freeland on Monday came two days after Venezuela expelled Canada's top diplomat
in Caracas for allegedly interfering in its domestic affairs.
Freeland said in a statement that Ambassador Wilmer Barrientos
Fernandez, who had already been pulled out of Canada to protest earlier
sanctions against Venezuelan officials, "is no longer welcome" in the
country.
"I am also declaring the Venezuelan charge d'affaires persona non
grata," added Freeland, referring to diplomat Angel Herrera.
Sanctions
The foreign minister said the move was in retaliation for the expulsion
on Saturday of Craig Kowalik, Canada's charge d'affaires in its embassy in
Caracas, by the government of President Nicolas Maduro.
Kowalik was accused of "nagging, constant rude and offensive
interference in Venezuela's domestic affairs", said Delcy Rodriguez, head
of Venezuela's Constituent Assembly, according to AFP news agency.
Venezuela also expelled Brazilian Ambassador Ruy Pereira.
Earlier this year, following in the US footsteps, Canada had unveiled
sanctions against 52 foreigners it deemed corrupt and accused of human rights
violations.
Related - VENEZUELA’S CRISIS
Among those sanctioned were Russian, South Sudanese and Venezuelan
officials, including Maduro.
In August, US President Donald Trump's government imposed sweeping
financial sanctions on Venezuela, and labelled Maduro "a dictator".
The measures banned US financial institutions from providing new money
to Venezuela's government or the state oil company, while all of Maduro's
assets subject to US jurisdiction were frozen, and Americans were barred from
doing business with him.
The sanctions drew an angry rebuke from Caracas, with Foreign Minister
Jorge Arreaza calling them the "worst aggression" against the country
in two centuries.
Maduro himself, however, said that the measures did not intimidate him
"for a moment".
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