Alwaght-Venezuelan
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez (R) mans a Russian-made 9K338
"Igla-S" (SA-18) man-portable air-defense (MANPAD) surface-to-air
missile launcher in Caracas on March 14, 2015, as Russia Today reported.
Nearly 100,000
soldiers are taking part in massive 10-day military exercises across Venezuela,
which were staged to counter an alleged US threat. It follows Washington’s decision to impose
new sanctions against Venezuelan officials last week.
Venezuelan
Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino Lopez announced that the military
exercises began on Saturday and were designed to get the troops ready for
“their mission, their goal, and with the will to be victorious.”
Lopez added
that the US sanctions are an “imminent danger for us,” which is why the
nation’s army must be ready to fight for its independence.
Most of the
maneuvers will be carried out south of Caracas.
The rest will take place in Venezuela’s oil-producing areas, such as the
Caribbean coast.
The nation’s
army will also be testing its air defenses and anti-aircraft systems, ensuring
they are ready to be deployed.
The military
exercises are due to show off Chinese amphibian weapons, Russian-built
missiles, and other military hardware.
Venezuelan
President Nicolas Maduro praised the country’s army in a televised address on
Saturday, stating, “We have a military that is the best guarantee of peace.”
“The insolent boot of imperialism dared touch the sacred land of
Venezuela, that day if we had to fight for the dignity of our country, we would
do it for peace and for the sovereignty and the integrity [of the country],” he
added.
American-Venezuelan
relations hit a new low last week, after US President Barack Obama signed and
issued an executive order imposing sanctions against Venezuelan officials who
allegedly participated in human rights abuses.
He also declared the country a threat to US national security.
“Venezuelan officials past and present who violate the human rights
of Venezuelan citizens and engage in acts of public corruption will not be
welcome here, and we now have the tools to block their assets and their use of
US financial systems,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement.
In response,
Maduro has accused the US of trying to “defeat” and “intervene in” his
government.
“President Barack Obama, representing the US imperialist elite, has
personally decided to take on the task of defeating my government and
intervening in Venezuela to control it,” Maduro said in a national TV address.
“That’s why they have taken today’s measure.”
The Union of
South American Nations (UNASUR) rejected Washington's move on Saturday.
Relations
between Washington and Caracas have been tense since Venezuela's iconic former
leader, Hugo Chavez, came to power in 2000.
The two have not had full diplomatic representation since 2008.
One of the most
recent escalations was Maduro announcing a new mandatory visa requirement for
all Americans visiting the country on March 1.
He said the move was a reciprocal measure to what “a Venezuelan pays to
travel to the US.”
Maduro has also
been asking his government to review and reduce the number of US diplomatic
staff in the country, following allegations of “conspiratorial meetings”
against Venezuela.
In February,
Maduro accused the US of being behind the attempted coup in Venezuela, pointing
to US Vice President Joe Biden as the mastermind.
“The northern imperial power has entered a dangerous phase of
desperation, going to talk to the continent’s governments to announce the
overthrow of my government. And I accuse Vice President Joe Biden of this,”
Maduro said.
The Venezuelan
government had been with dealing with massive unrest amid protests called by
opposition leaders. The US has accused
Maduro’s government of heavy-handedly quelling the opposition. In turn, Maduro last month announced that
Venezuela successfully defeated the alleged US-sponsored coup, adding that an
attack on the presidential palace or another top target was planned.
