“For us, Venezuela is a strategic partner in Latin America, and therefore I hope your visit will lay a good basis for the development of relations not only within the parliamentary dimension but also between our countries,” said Viacheslav Volodin
Vyacheslav Victorovich
The Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the eighth convocation. Elected in single mandate constituency № 163 (Saratov constituency - Saratov Oblast)
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According to the Chairman of the State Duma, relations between the Russian Federation and Venezuela “are actively developing in many ways, because our heads of state are doing everything for this. Our task is to ensure on legislative level those decisions that have been agreed at the highest level.” He noted that we need to set out relations not only within the framework of cooperation between parliaments but also at the level of specialized committees.
Viacheslav Volodin added that the relations between the two countries are open, based on the principles of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, friendship, dialogue without double standards.
“For our part, we condemn unilateral sanctions against Venezuela, we believe that this is unacceptable, we condemn interference in the sovereign affairs of Venezuela. I hope that our position on this issue will receive more and more support, because, as you see, sanctions and interference in internal affairs lead to crises with involvement of more and more participants in the world,” the Chairman of the State Duma noted, adding that Russia condemns the policy of ‘trade wars.’
He told his Venezuelan colleague about attempts to intervene in the internal affairs of Russia and destabilize the situation in it by unauthorized protests, just like in Venezuela.
“Unfriendly actions [of the USA] were not limited only to issues related to the economy and sanctions. […] When routes of unauthorized rallies are indicated on the embassy’s website, when German state media urge our citizens to participate in them, you are familiar with these methods. We have also faced them,” said Viacheslav Volodin.
“You can have a different point of view, other political views and at the same time be a patriot of your country. And those who run around the embassies, those who are financed from abroad and try to present themselves as an oppositionist, have nothing to do with the opposition. These are agents of influence of other states, and they realize by no means a good mission. They take on themselves a great sin — the destruction of our countries in the interests of other states,” said Viacheslav Volodin.
Viacheslav Volodin said that these forces “are not by any means unselfish: the United States transfers money to their foreign accounts, supports them, tries to promote them, appointing them as the main opposition leaders, supports them through the media, Internet technologies, tries to protect them from justice as soon as claims are being made against them.”
The Chairman of the State Duma expressed his support to the people of Venezuela and its parliamentarians: “Your actions aimed at protection of national sovereignty are absolutely correct. Everything must be done for the development of each country. Only a country with strong sovereignty can meet challenges and threats.”
“We consider it unacceptable when the United States tries to impose its will against the will of the people of the country, when it interferes in the sovereign affairs of Venezuela and wants to illegally bring their puppets to power,” Viacheslav Volodin emphasized.
“Everyone should unite to resist attempts to create a unipolar world and the desire of one country to rule, especially without having any rights to this and thereby violating all international agreements and decisions previously agreed within the framework of international structures, primarily UN,” he added.
The President of the National Constituent Assembly of Venezuela, Diosdado Cabello Rondón, conveyed the warmest wishes from the Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to Viacheslav Volodin and thanked Russia and its President Vladimir Putin for the continued comprehensive support of Venezuela.
“The US and its allies have decided that they can simply appoint their President of Venezuela. But in reality, this is not the President of Venezuela, but the representative of these countries in Venezuela,” said Diosdado Cabello Rondón, also referring to the attempted murder of Nicolás Maduro “using a drone with explosives”. “Attempts were made to initiate coup d'etat, including the seizure of military bases,” the parliamentarian added.
He stressed that Venezuela withstood primarily because of the support of Russia.
“During all the attacks, Russia was always there, constantly helping us overcome [difficulties]. And I think, of all the presidents of the world, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is the most popular in Venezuela because he sincerely believes in the freedom of nations, in their right to independence, self-determination, and non-interference in their affairs,” said Diosdado Cabello Rondón.
“Those who appointed the future President of Venezuela thought about their interests, and not about the interests of the people of Venezuela and the interests of the state,” agreed Viacheslav Volodin, adding that Venezuela’s struggle for sovereignty is a struggle for its future.
He noted that there was not a single country in the world that the US had ”laid hands on“, and it would have become prosperous. It comes for its own enrichment, added Viacheslav Volodin, citing Iraq and Libya as examples. “It brings troubles, pain, destruction of the state,” said the Chairman of the State Duma.
At the end of the meeting, Diosdado Cabello Rondón invited Viacheslav Volodin to visit Venezuela and the Constituent National Assembly to further develop and strengthen inter-parliamentary relations. “I will definitely accept it,” the Chairman of the State Duma answered.
