Venezuela accuses US of hampering its cooperation with UN Nuclear watchdog

America’s crippling sanctions on Venezuela are hampering its technical cooperation programme with the UN's Nuclear Watchdog, the country's deputy minister of New Sources and Rational Use of Electric Energy said. Speaking virtually at the 65th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA), Tania Masea asserted that the ‘illegal’ sanctions have limited the “acquisition, installation and maintenance of equipment or supplies within the technical cooperation program" with IAEA. 

"IAEA’s cooperation is essential to contributing to development and prosperity," she said and should not be subject to "restrictions" of any kind. "No country should interfere in the normal functioning of any other countries' technical cooperation program," Masea said.

Under the regime of President Donald Trump, the US government imposed crippling sanctions on Venezuela seeking to isolate Maduro. Those restrictions have made it difficult for Venezuela to develop, sell or transport its oil — the backbone of its economy, according to the Associated Press. Apart from the US, European Union, Canada, Mexico, Panama, and Switzerland have also imposed individual sanctions on the country. 

Multiple complaints 

Masea told the conference that Caracas has launched multiple complaints with various international organisations about the imposition of “illegal, illegitimate and immoral” sanctions by a country that takes advantage of its economic power to impose measures on other countries that violate the United Nations Charter.” 

Previously, a scornful report by the United Nations (UN) revealed that international pressure campaign on Venezuela undertaken by the US, UK and the EU has “devastated” the nation. The report was composed following a 12 day trip in the country by Alina Douhan, Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures who urged the western nations to lift the catastrophic sanctions. Sanctions were first imposed against Venezuela in 2005 and have been severely strengthened since 2015, with the most severe ones being imposed by the United States. 

According to the latest statistics, nearly 90 per cent of Venezuelan residents live under extreme poverty making it the poorest nation in Latin America. The country’s economy began plummeting in 2014 following a decline in oil prices and rampant mismanagement. In 2017, the US imposed a wide range of sanctions on the nation, which further pushed the country into inflation and chronic shortages of food.

Image: AP