Venezuela likely to revoke recognition of Georgian occupied regions if interim gov’t preserves power
Venezuela recognised two Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) as independent states in 2009, a year after the Russia-Georgia war. Photo: looptt.com.
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Reliable sources say that the interim government of Venezuela under leader Juan Guaido will revoke Venezuela’s recognition of the two occupied regions of Georgia Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) if they manage to stay in power.
Giorgi Tsikolia, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Georgian Embassy to US, asked former US Ambassador for Venezuela and Venezuelan representative to the Organisation of American States (OAS) just appointed by Guaido, if there were any plans discussed by new Venezuelan leader to revoke the recognition.
Listen to the answers by US former Ambassador William Brownfield and Guaido’s representative in OAS Gustavo Tarre in the video below:
The discussion took place on 29 January at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Washington.
Georgia has stood with the United States to recognise the interim government of Venezuela and its opposition leader Juan Guaido from the Popular Will party, opposing the policy and re-election of Nicolas Maduro.
The public discussion at the CSIS was not the only place in Washington, where the issue of two occupied Georgian regions was on the agenda.
Maduro (R) is supported by Russia. Photo: France 24.
David Smolansky Urosa, former Mayor of El Hatillo municipality in Caracas, Venezuela, who has been in exile in the US since 2017, says that Guaido’s government will revoke the recognition of the Georgian regions.
Smolansky Urosa, a founding member of the Popular Will opposition party, one of the closest allies of Guaido, made a statement to this effect on 28 January while giving a lecture at the Institute of World Politics in Washington DC.
Watch the part of the Smolansky's lecture related to Georgia:
The video from the lecture was uploaded on Facebook by freelance researcher Christina Pushaw, who attended the event.
In the video Urosa says that the Georgian people are the victims of the Russian invasion.
We are with the people of Georgia, who were victims of the Russian invasion in 2008. That recognition Chavez gave was not on the behalf of the majority of Venezuelans.”
Pushaw told Agenda.ge that “ I talked to him (Urosa) privately after the event and he knew that the de facto leaders of those territories had recently visited Maduro. So, this is a serious issue for them.”
He also said thanks to the Georgian government for recognising Guiado as the legitimate president,” Pushaw said.
Venezuela, which recognised the Georgian occupied regions as independent states under Hugo Chavez in 2009, is one of only five to do so since the Russia-Georgia 2008 war.
Georgia shares the position of the international community and says that the country does not recognize the legitimacy of Nicolas Maduro as the president of Venezuela.
US National Security Adviser John Bolton phoned Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze late yesterday to thank him for sharing the US position regarding the current tension in Venezuela and for the recognition of opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela.
Georgia has joined the US and other foreign states which have recognised Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president. Georgian Foreign Ministry hopes that the political process in Venezuela will continue peacefully and the country’s legitimate government will join the international community.
If Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia region and Venezuela sign a visa free travel agreement, this will be a blatant violation of international law, says official Tbilisi.
Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze has stated that Georgia firmly supports the interim government of Venezuela under the leadership of Juan Guaido and says that he is sure that the political force will win its fight against Nicolas Maduro.
De facto leader of Georgia’s eastern occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region Anatoly Bibilov says that his “country” wants a direct dialogue with Tbilisi, or such a dialogue to be mediated by Russia, Bibilov told the Russian media Izvestia.
Prime Minister of Georgia Mamuka Bakhtadze has published a tweet in which he pledges Georgia's support fo Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president.
Interim President of Venezuela Juan Guaido has thanked the Georgian government for its support in the fight of the Venezuelan people for freedom and democracy. Guado made the statement during his meeting with Georgian Ambassador to Brazil David Solomonia, on the sidelines of the 11th foreign ministerial of the Lima Group composed of 14 countries in Bogota yesterday, assembled to find solutions to the political and economic crisis in Venezuela.
The Permanent Mission of Georgia to Geneva has organized the event named Human Rights Abuses and Violations in Venezuela with missions of the United States, Albania, Argentina and other countries.
Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze has stated that the Georgian government, which recognised the interim government of Venezuela under Juan Guaido earlier this year, is standing by the Venezuelan people who are fighting against the undemocratic leadership of Nicolas Maduro.
Giorgi Tsikolia, the Deputy Chief of mission at the Georgian Embassy to the United States, will lead the business development of the software development company Lineate as the Regional Director for Georgia and the region, the company announced on Friday.