Spanish
Venezuela is more prepared and "stronger" than ever to defend the peace and sovereignty of the country, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro assured this Thursday, after the announcement of a US military deployment near its coasts to, supposedly, combat drug trafficking. According to media reports, the ongoing mobilization includes warships and warplanes, guided missile destroyers and even a nuclear submarine.
"Today I can say, after 20 continuous days of announcements, threats, psychological warfare; after 20 days of siege against the Venezuelan nation: today we are stronger than yesterday, today we are more prepared to defend peace, sovereignty and territorial integrity than yesterday, much more. I know what I'm saying. Today we have more national support and more international support than ever before," said the president in an act with military personnel.
He also affirmed that the "situation of siege, harassment and illegal threats that violate the United Nations Charter" represents at the same time "an opportunity" for the Bolivarian nation to strengthen itself "in defense plans", as well as "in the political, in the institutional, in the psychological" and in "national unity".
The "most powerful" weapon
In his speech, the dignitary highlighted that the military and police forces of Venezuela are not trained "to invade any country" and are based on the doctrine of the hero Simón Bolívar, therefore "they are liberators, not imperialists, not colonizers".
"We are not building a military power to steal resources from any country on the continent or in the world. Venezuela does not have atomic weapons or nuclear submarines. Venezuela does not threaten anyone, nor does it have military bases on the continents of the planet. Venezuela has a more powerful weapon than all military bases, than all its weapons, which is the weapon of our Bolivarian history [...], which has respected the homeland and which is from victory to victory," he added.
After emphasizing that "neither sanctions, nor blockades, nor sieges" will break the country, he also highlighted "the admiration" and "the impressive understanding" that his nation has received from "the whole world", both inside and outside Latin America, and pointed out that while Venezuela is "a people of peace", it is willing to defend itself if the situation warrants it.
"We are a people of peace. We want peace and we will have peace. But the roads of South America are open to defend the great homeland on the day, at the hour and the moment when Bolívar gives the order and calls for the awakening of his troops to liberate from imperialism and colonialism all these great lands that were born to be free, for now and forever," he added.
