MOSCOW. April 1 (Interfax) - The Russian Foreign Ministry has commented on Washington's announcement that it will consider Russian military specialists' presence in Venezuela as a threat to regional peace and security.
"The arrival in Venezuela of Russian military-technical cooperation specialists continues causing the nervous reaction in Washington. There is even talk there that the U.S. will consider representatives from armed forces of the countries from outside the Western Hemisphere appearing in Venezuela as provocative acts posing a threat to peace and security in the region," the ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.
"A part of the Russian Federation - Chukotka Peninsula - is located precisely in the Western Hemisphere. So, for Russia the American continent is a close neighbor.
"The Russian side stated clearly why its specialists flew in to Caracas. This is not about any 'military contingents.' Therefore, any speculations about Russia conducting some 'military operations' in Venezuela are absolutely baseless."
Attempts to intimidate Russia with sanctions for its legitimate cooperation with Venezuela are ludicrous, Zakharova said. "So many of them were introduced by Washington, under various pretexts, that Moscow has simply lost count and stopped paying attention.
"For our part, we recommend that the U.S. stop threatening Venezuela, stifling its economy and pushing it towards a civil war by openly trampling on international law. We are calling on all Venezuelan political forces, who put their country's interests above their own ambitions, to [engage in] dialogue. We are ready to provide full assistance with its launch."