Venezuela to exit OAS: Suriname votes against special meeting

Venezuela will withdraw from the Organization of American States (OAS). Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez told VTV state television Wednesday that the beleaguered country, which is facing huge civil unrest, would take the unprecedented step of leaving the panAmerican organization over what it sees as attempts by foreign governments to interfere in its affairs by siding with the opposition in the latest wave of protests in the country. “In the OAS, we announced that if these intrusive, arbitrary, illicit, misdirected and rude actions were to persist against the sovereignty of our country, we would immediately proceed to denounce the letter of OAS and to initiate the definite withdrawal of Venezuela form this regional organization,” Rodriguez said. She added that the government will formally announce its withdrawal from the group, and that she expects the process to take two years. The move comes as Venezuela experiences civil unrest. Protests, which have been ongoing for months, escalated in April and have resulted in dozens of deaths. The unrest stems from dissatisfaction with the government, which has been accused of economic mismanagement resulting in huge shortages of daily essentials like food and medicine. Nineteen of the 35 OAS member countries called for a special meeting in Washington Wednesday afternoon on the current situation in Venezuela, a further step on the road toward sanctions. Suriname was one of the 10 countries that voted against the special meeting while 4 countries refrained from voting. “OAS Council approves resolution to convene Meeting of Consultation of Foreign Ministers on Situation in Venezuela,” OAS posted on their official account. The meeting was approved by a roll-call vote. The OAS has been debating Venezuela’s compliance with the InterAmerican Democratic Charter over the past few weeks. The OAS secretary general and key member states had voiced serious concern regarding the humanitarian crisis that Venezuela is facing, with basic food and medical supplies in drastically short supply. Suriname’s Foreign Affairs Minister Yldiz Pollack-Beighle pointed out that Suriname is in favor of dialogue. “The democratically elected government of Venezuela must be given the opportunity to continue and consolidate internal dialogue with opposition leaders without interference from outside,” said the minister in a statement. She added that Suriname disapproved of the recent developments within the OAS and that it did not support the attempts of the regional organization to isolate Venezuela.