The Venezuelan government cancels Brazil's custodianship of the Argentine embassy in Venezuela

On September 7 local time, the Venezuelan government issued a communiqué announcing the immediate revocation of the right of the Brazilian government to represent the interests of the Argentine Republic and its nationals on Venezuelan territory and the revocation of its custodianship over the premises, property and archives of the Argentine mission in Venezuela.

The Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out in the communiqué that this decision was made because there is evidence that the Argentine embassy in Venezuela is being used by Venezuelan opposition members who have received asylum to plan assassinations and other terrorist activities against Venezuelan President Maduro and Vice President Rodríguez. Since late March, a total of six Venezuelan opposition members have received asylum at the Argentine embassy in Venezuela. The Venezuelan procuratorial organs have charged these opposition members with crimes such as treason and sedition.

Previously, due to the fact that seven Latin American countries including Argentina tried not to recognize the results of the Venezuelan general election, Venezuela announced on July 29 the recall of diplomatic personnel from these countries and at the same time required diplomatic personnel from these countries to withdraw from Venezuela. On July 31, the Brazilian government accepted the request of the Argentine government to represent Argentina's interests in Venezuela during the closure of the Argentine embassy in Venezuela.

Immediately after this decision was announced, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying that the Brazilian government was shocked by the Venezuelan government's notification of this decision. It also said that according to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, Brazil will continue to supervise and defend Argentine interests until the Argentine government designates another country acceptable to the Venezuelan government to exercise the above functions. At the same time, it emphasized that the facilities of the Argentine diplomatic mission in Venezuela are inviolable. The Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a communiqué on its official website, accusing the Venezuelan government of making a "unilateral decision to surround the Argentine embassy in Venezuela", expressing dissatisfaction with the actions of Venezuelan intelligence agencies and security forces in surrounding and monitoring the embassy. It opposes the Venezuelan government's unilateral cancellation of Brazil's representation of the Argentine embassy. At the same time, it expresses gratitude to the Brazilian government for representing Argentina's rights and interests in Venezuela. The international community is closely following this measure of Venezuela and the subsequent development of the situation.