Venezuela refutes Columbian claims of Russian-Iranian interference
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The Venezuelan Defense Minister says Colombian allegations that Russia and Iran are interfering at the border are "inappropriate."
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Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez
Venezuelan Defense Minister, Vladimir Padrino Lopez, called the statements of his Colombian counterpart -which alleged that Iran and Russia interfered in the situation at the border- an "inappropriate statement."
"Colombia, the country which Bogota's oligarchy has converted into an appendix of the (United States) South Command in our America, into a location of US military bases (...) denounces interference in Venezuela...my God!," Padrino tweeted.
Colombia, país que la oligarquía bogotana ha convertido en el apéndice del Comando Sur en nuestra América, en sede de las bases militares de EE.UU., en objeto del adocenado “Plan Colombia”, en la socia global de la OTAN, denuncia injerencia en Venezuela… ¡Dios mío! pic.twitter.com/Cdcxpk01xz
— Vladimir Padrino L. (@vladimirpadrino) February 3, 2022
On Thursday, Colombian Defense Minister Diego Molano claimed that Venezuela is moving troops to the border with Colombia with technical assistance from Russia and Iran, calling the deployment "foreign interference."
At an anti-drugs conference in Cartega, Molano said "We know that men and units of the FANB have been mobilized towards the border with technical assistance from Russia ... and Iran."
The Colombian government accuses Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of harboring Colombian dissidents, which Maduro has repeatedly denied.
Maduro said last year that his government would combat all kinds of illegal armed groups from Colombia in Venezuelan territory during 2022. The Venezuelan authorities have deployed special combat forces with the same goal.
Maduro has previously described the groups that the Venezuelan army is fighting on the Colombian border as "terrorists". The Venezuelan president also accused the Colombian authorities of planning new attacks against the military in Venezuela in guidance of the US.
