The United States Joins the Interim Government of Venezuela and Other Countries in Invoking the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance
PRESS STATEMENT
MICHAEL R. POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE
SEPTEMBER 11, 2019
The United States joins the Interim Government of Venezuela and ten other countries in invoking the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (TIAR). This Venezuelan-led request is proof of the region’s support for the Venezuelan people and recognition of the increasingly destabilizing influence that the former regime of Nicolas Maduro is having on the region.
More than four million Venezuelans have fled their homeland, finding refuge in countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, though their long-term presence increasingly taxes the social services of their host countries. Recent bellicose moves by the Venezuelan military to deploy along the border with Colombia as well as the presence of illegal armed groups and terrorist organizations in Venezuelan territory demonstrate that Nicolas Maduro not only poses a threat to the Venezuelan people, his actions threaten the peace and security of Venezuela’s neighbors. Catastrophic economic policies and political repression continue to drive this unprecedented refugee crisis, straining the ability of governments to respond.
We look forward to further high-level discussions with fellow TIAR parties, as we come together to collectively address the urgent crisis raging within Venezuela and spilling across its border through the consideration of multilateral economic and political options. Today’s action demonstrates the hemisphere’s resolve to stand beside the Venezuelan people struggling for a better, freer future and it is proof of the region’s collective recognition that Nicolas Maduro is not only the cause of the suffering of the Venezuelan people, he is threatening the peace and stability of the region.
