Venezuela-Netherlands/Spain relations | By: Isaías Márquez

Isaiah Marquez

After having been secretly housed for just over 30 days in the Dutch embassy in Caracas, with an arrest warrant, accused of “usurpation of functions and instigation to rebellion” until 5/9, the opposition leader and intrepid against Nicolás Maduro, Edmundo González Urrutia, president elect, at the urgent request of the Dutch chancellor from Caracas, after the presidential elections, in order to welcome the opposition for “as long as necessary” in the face of threats or threats, for which he was sheltered in the residence of the Spanish ambassador, until Sunday 7/5 when he traveled to Spain, as revealed by the Dutch government. According to the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Caspar Weldkamp, ​​who decided to attend to an “urgent” request one day after the elections to welcome the opposition for “as long as necessary.” This was explained in a note addressed to parliament, in which he details that “González Urrutia chose to leave this seat and continue his fight from Spain”, where the congress, which has been branded as fascist ultra-right, from Caracas, for the fair and laudable act of recognizing him as president-elect and the government of Venezuela has generated a diplomatic crisis with Spain and has called its ambassador for consultations, as well as the Spanish representative in Caracas, perhaps to receive a formal and direct protest, gestures that are considered a sign that relations between both countries are deteriorating, and perhaps it could be a previous step towards the breaking of diplomatic, commercial and consular relations, already raised by the president of the AN, Jorge Rodríguez G, a possibility that is under consideration by the Foreign Policy commission, which would entail multiple consequences for Venezuelans because they would not be able to travel directly, since air tickets; even, for the Canary Islands, would increase excessively since the planes would have to make a stopover or look for connections. Workers at airlines operating in the country could be suspended from work, in addition to other consequences for foreign trade and academic activities, due to the fact of breaking with a culture of atavistic roots that has remained unchanged on our continent.

However, the Spanish government chose to lower the level of tension between Caracas and Madrid and described as “sovereign” the decision of Nicolás Maduro to summon the Spanish ambassador in Caracas and call his representative in Madrid for consultations, for which “there is nothing to comment” according to the Spanish foreign minister.

However, the AN approved a draft veto of the attitude of the Spanish Congress, which immediately leads to a break in diplomatic, consular and commercial relations with that nation, a fact that would affect air connectivity, as we have indicated.

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