By Sahil Pandey

New Delhi [India], January 7 (ANI): Terming the recent US military action in Venezuela as an 'illegal military invasion', the Cuban Ambassador to India, Juan Carlos Marsan Aguilera, on Wednesday condemned the aggression and called for the immediate release of 'legitimate' Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Speaking to ANI on the escalating crisis in Latin America, the Ambassador expressed shock over the developments, comparing the situation to the Cold War era and the 19th-century imperialist policies.

'I was in my office on the 3rd of January when I received a call informing me that the US made a military aggression towards Venezuela. I was totally surprised. I never imagined that we would come back to the time of the Cold War, where a big country would have this illegal military invasion over a sovereign nation,' Aguilera told ANI.

On Saturday, the US launched a 'large-scale strike against Venezuela', and Maduro and his wife were captured and taken out of the country.

They were later indicted on charges of alleged 'drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracies' in the Southern District of New York and are currently facing trial.

The Ambassador detailed the damage caused in Caracas and other provinces, alleging that a terrorist group had kidnapped Maduro.

'It is an illegal option. It violates all principles set out in the United Nations' chapter on international law. No single country could support such action in the 21st century,' Aguilera added.

Confirming the deaths of Cuban personnel during the crisis, the Envoy stated that Havana has declared two days of mourning to pay tribute to 32 Cuban citizens who were killed while protecting Maduro.

'The Bolivarian government requested a presence to reinforce the safeguarding of President Maduro. We sent a group to support the safeguard team. They were there fulfilling their duties and refusing the terrorist group. They were very brave for more than 30 minutes, facing this aggression with courage. For us, all of them are heroes,' he said.

Criticising the US administration's stance on Cuba, Aguilera accused Washington of trying to 'strangle' the Cuban economy by re-including it in the list of state sponsors of terrorism--a move he described as 'politically motivated' and 'totally unfair'.

'During the first Trump administration, they adopted more than 243 measures to strangle our economy. Now, they are persecuting oil supplies to Cuba from Venezuela and Russia and banning Americans from travelling to Cuba,' he noted.

The Envoy further alleged that the US is attempting to impose a modern version of the 'Monroe Doctrine' to dominate the Western Hemisphere for its natural and strategic resources, including oil.

'They want every government in Latin America and the Caribbean to be in line with US interests. They are telling Mexico they will interfere in their policy and told Colombian President Gustavo Petro, 'You can be the next.' You cannot treat an independent country like this,' the Ambassador said.

Calling for a united front, the Cuban Ambassador highlighted the role of organisations like the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), G77+China, and BRICS in defending the rights of the Global South.

'The UN Security Council and the Non-Aligned Movement have already expressed consensus against these unilateral military actions. We are calling on the international community to express clearly that we cannot accept this policy. Not a single country can force the US to change unilaterally, but all united, we can defend our ideas,' he concluded. (ANI)