Lavrov Calls Bolton's Remarks On Applicability Of Monroe Doctrine To Venezuela Arrogant

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday called US National Security Advisor John Bolton's remarks concerning the applicability of the Monroe Doctrine to Venezuela arrogant and insulting

DOHA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th March, 2019) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday called US National Security Advisor John Bolton's remarks concerning the applicability of the Monroe Doctrine to Venezuela arrogant and insulting.

On Sunday, Bolton said in an interview with CNN that the United States was applying the Monroe Doctrine, a policy penned in the 1820s that aimed at securing an all-democratic Western Hemisphere through influence over Latin American countries, to the situation in Venezuela.

"I believe that since its establishment in 1945, the United Nations has been the most universal and legitimate system for regulating international law. The theory and practice of 'back door' politics is insulting. This is why I believe that Latin American countries will react to John Bolton's arrogant statement.

He didn't just imply that the Monroe Doctrine was applicable to Venezuela, he insulted all of Latin America," Lavrov said at a joint news conference with Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed Al-Thani.

Tensions in Venezuela escalated in late January when US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido illegally declared himself interim president. The United States immediately recognized Guaido, seized billions of Dollars worth of the country's oil assets and threatened to use military action against incumbent President Nicolas Maduro's government. Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia and a number of other countries have reaffirmed their support for Maduro as Venezuela's only legitimate president.