CARACAS.- The Venezuelan Defense Minister, Vladimir Padrino, assured this Wednesday that the United States represents the greatest threat to the security of Latin America, considering that the North American country tries to perpetuate its “hegemony” over the region.
“The main threat to security and peace in Latin America are the actions carried out by the United States at the political, economic, and military levels to try to maintain its declining hegemony,” said the official during his telematic participation in a meeting between headlines of Defense from various parts of the world, held in Russia.
In his opinion, the US will do anything “to keep Latin America aligned with its interests” and, therefore, “they have increased their military activities in the region”, with 11 exercises “sponsored by the Southern Command” of Florida , in so far this year.
“They also highlight the activities of their transnational companies that even try to violate the sovereignty of Latin American and Caribbean States,” said Padrino López, who recalled that Venezuela has had to give a “forceful response to these threats” in the Caribbean Sea, without explain how
The minister supported the rapprochement of Latin America and the Caribbean to nations such as Russia, India and China, “which are bringing large investments to the region”, as well as the use of currencies other than the dollar, actions that “point to the defense of autonomies regions and put their stamp on the new global geopolitics.
At the end of February, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro received the secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Pátrushev, in Caracas with the aim of reviewing the cooperation map, two months after both countries signed 11 agreements for the next decade in the areas of health, energy, maritime transport and anti-drugs, among other areas.
