CARACAS, Sept 12 (Askume) – Venezuela’s government has summoned its ambassador to Spain and the Spanish ambassador to the Latin American country, escalating a diplomatic dispute, the country’s foreign minister said on Thursday.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Gil posted on messaging platform Telegram that “rude, intrusive and impolite” comments by Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles were the motivation behind the move.
According to local media reports, Robles has previously called the Venezuelan government a “dictatorship.”
Gill said he had recalled Spanish Ambassador to Venezuela Gladys Gutierrez for consultations and summoned Spanish Ambassador to Venezuela Ramon Santos to appear at the Foreign Ministry on Friday.
Also on Thursday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez met with self-exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez in Madrid, a day after Spain’s lower house of parliament recognized Gonzalez as the winner of the presidential election.
Venezuela’s opposition released detailed vote counts showing González would win in a landslide.
But national election officials, who have not yet released detailed vote tallies, declared incumbent President Nicolas Maduro the winner.
Maduro has dismissed international criticism as a right-wing conspiracy.
