EU Sanctions On Venezuela Aimed At Individuals Not Population - Portugal Minister

Sanctions imposed on Venezuela by the European Union differ from US ones in that they target officials rather than the economy, Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva told Sputnik on Thursday

MONTEVIDEO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th February, 2019) Sanctions imposed on Venezuela by the European Union differ from US ones in that they target officials rather than the economy, Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva told Sputnik on Thursday.

"The sanctions that we [the EU] imposed are sanctions approved to cause harm to individuals but not to the Venezuelan economy," the minister stressed.

The European Union has imposed an embargo on arms sales and travel bans and asset freezes on 18 officials since 2017. More recently, the United States slapped sanctions on Venezuela's oil industry, in an effort to deprive its government of its main source of revenue.

"There is a difference between the sanctions that the EU approved and, for instance, the recent sanctions approved by the US administration. For us, what makes sense is to impose sanctions on individuals and not on the population," the Portuguese minister added.

Venezuela has been suffering from years of economic and political crisis after the global oil market crashed in 2014, prompting millions to flee their homes to neighboring countries.

A political crisis erupted in Venezuela after Juan Guaido, the leader of the opposition-led Venezuelan National Authority, proclaimed himself the country's interim president in late January, contesting Nicolas Maduro's re-election last year. Maduro has accused Guaido of acting on Washington's instructions.

The Venezuelan opposition leader was recognized by the United States and several EU member states, among others. Russia and China, as well as several other nations, have backed Maduro as the country's legitimate president.