France on Wednesday ordered the Venezuelan embassy to reduce its diplomatic staff in Paris, giving some diplomats five days to leave the country. in a measure of reciprocity after Caracas ordered the departure of French diplomats and other European countries.
“This decision is a reciprocal measure following the decision of the Venezuelan authorities on January 14 to reduce our diplomatic presence in Caracas for reasons that we categorically reject,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Last week Venezuela said it would impose restrictions to the French, Italian and Dutch diplomats in Caracas and would reduce his embassy staff to just three, citing their governments’ “hostile” response to President Nicolás Maduro’s inauguration for a third term.
Two days later, France summoned a high-ranking Venezuelan diplomat to Paris to protest the decision and warned that it would take reciprocal action.
The Dutch Government also ordered Venezuela to reduce its diplomatic staff in the Netherlands from four to two in response to Venezuela’s decision.
Italy also called last week to the head of Venezuelan diplomacy in Rome to protest the measure, as well as the lack of information about the fate of an Italian citizen arrested two months ago.
Several Western nations have not recognized Maduro’s victory in Venezuela’s July 2024 presidential election. France, Italy and the Netherlands openly criticized Maduro’s inauguration last week, while the United States has offered a $25 million reward for Maduro’s arrest.
