The European Union’s ambassador to Venezuela, Isabel Brillanti, will leave the country on Tuesday after the Venezuelan government declared her a persona non grata, according to an AFP diplomatic source.
On Wednesday, Caracas announced that it had decided to expel the Portuguese ambassador of the European Union, Isabel Brillante, in response to the bloc’s imposition of sanctions on 19 senior officials.
The European ambassador gave Caracas 72 hours to leave the country.
The diplomatic source revealed to France Press that the ambassador would not leave the country until Tuesday, “for logistical reasons related to the availability of flights” from Caracas.
Brillante has been the ambassador of the European Union in Caracas since 2017.
Maduro had previously announced her expulsion on June 29, 2020, in response to the imposition of sanctions on Venezuelan officials, and gave her 72 hours to leave the country, but with the expiration of the deadline, the Venezuelan government returned its decision to demand the European Union to take “steps” in return.
In response to the expulsion of its ambassador to Caracas, the European Union declared its ambassador to Venezuela, Claudia Salerno Caldera, “persona non grata”.
The total number of officials and senior officials in the Venezuelan government who were subjected to European sanctions, including the travel ban to the countries of the Union and the freezing of their assets there, is 55.
Venezuela is experiencing a stifling political crisis and the worst economic crisis in its contemporary history, and in 2017 it became the first country in Latin America to impose sanctions on it by the European Union.
Three years ago, the United States has doubled diplomatic pressure and economic sanctions to oust President Nicolas Maduro, who won a new term in 2018.
Source: AFP
