U.S. on Venezuela and Cuba Affairs

The Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs headed by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Julie Chung concluded a discussion on Venezuela today.  The state of affairs in that South American country remains troubling, as the United States does not recognize the government of President Nicolas Maduro.  The Maduro is supported by Cuba on whom the United States has imposed an embargo.  In speaking with the media on Monday, Chung touched on the issue of Venezuela and the sanctions being brought against U.S. companies that are doing business with the embattled nation.

Julie Chung

Julie Chung, U.S. State Department

“Each country has a right to determine their relationship with any other country.  In the view of the United States, we have been having a lot of sanctions and a lot of discussions about Cuba’s maligned influence in the region, including in Venezuela.  And in terms of the current Maduro regime that’s been a complete disaster for the people and the country of Venezuela, starving and torturing its people.  You have a humanitarian crisis, not only for Venezuela but with over four million people that have fled Venezuela facing a million percent inflation; this is not what we want to see in the region.  We want to see a stable and peaceful Western Hemisphere and what’s happening in Venezuela and something that Cuba is contributing to really violates all the norms of human rights and international rule of law.”

Reporter

“Do countries that support any of those countries face any risk of sanctions from the U.S.?”

Julie Chung

“Right now our sanctions are focused on those that are U.S. companies that are doing business with the Maduro regime and U.S. companies that are doing business in Cuba.  So we are focused on that, but we urge every country to do what they can, again to push back against the Maduro regime.  This is one of our top priorities in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs and recently on the margins of the UN General Assembly, we had sixteen countries of the Rio Treaty get together in a united voice, a group that hadn’t met since 9/11 when we got together in unity and coalition around the terrorism attack against the United States.  So it’s been a long time since these countries met in the Rio Treaty and what was decided, sixteen countries voted to stand in unity and to join in collective, diplomatic action to continue pressuring the Maduro regime.”