Foreign relations of Venezuela

Venezuela’s priorities in the international arena are:

Respect for human rights;
The right of all people to self-determination;
Nonintervention in the internal affairs of other nations;
Peaceful settlement of disputes between nations, including border disputes;
The right of all people to peace and security; and
Support for democracy.

Hemispheric cooperation and integration are two pillars of president Hugo Chavez’s foreign policy. Venezuela worked closely with its neighbors following the 1997 Summit of the Americas in many areas–particularly energy integration–and championed the OAS decision to adopt an Anti-Corruption Convention. Venezuela also participates in the UN Friends groups for Haiti. It is pursuing efforts to join the MERCOSUR trade bloc to expand the hemisphere’s trade integration prospects. The Venezuelan government advocates an end to Cuba’s isolation and a “multi-polar” world based on ties among Third World countries.

Hugo Chavez era

Since Hugo Chavez was elected President of Venezuela, the long-standing close diplomatic relationship between Venezuela and the United States have progressively worsened. Chavez’s public friendship and significant trade relationship with Cuba and Fidel Castro have undermined the U.S. policy of isolating Cuba, and long-running ties between the U.S. and Venezuelan militaries were severed on Chavez’s initiative.

Chavez’s stance as an OPEC price hawk has raised the price of oil for the United States, as Venezuela pushed OPEC producers towards a higher price, around USD 25 a barrel. During Venezuela’s presidency of OPEC in 2000, Chavez made a ten-day tour of OPEC countries, in the process becoming the first head of state to meet Saddam Hussein since the Gulf War. The visit was controversial at home and in the US, although Chavez did respect the ban on international flights to and from Iraq (he drove from Iran, his previous stop).

Chavez opposition to U.S. foreign policy

Chavez’s stance as an OPEC price hawk has raised the price of oil for the United States, his public friendship and significant trade relationship with Cuba and Fidel Castro has undermined the U.S. policy of isolating Cuba, and long-running ties between the U.S. and Venezuelan militaries were severed on Chavez’s initiative. Chavez has been intensely critical of U.S. economic and foreign policy: in Iraq, Haiti, regarding the Free Trade Area of the Americas and in numerous other areas.

Allegations of U.S. covert actions against Chavez government

The United States recognized the government of Pedro Carmona during the 2002 coup attempt which briefly overthrew Chavez. On 20 February 2005, Chavez stated that he had reasons to believe that the U.S. had plans to have him assassinated; he said that any attempt would mean that Venezuela would cut off oil to the U.S.

Personal disputes

Chavez’s anti-U.S. rhetoric has sometimes touched the personal: in response to the ouster of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February 2004, Chavez called U.S. President George W. Bush a pendejo (”prick”); in a later speech, he made personal remarks regarding Condoleezza Rice. The U.S. has called Chavez a “negative force” in the region, and requested support from Venezuela’s neighbors in isolating Chavez.

Allegations over weapons purchases

The U.S. has opposed and lobbied against numerous Venezuelan arms purchases, including a purchase of 100,000 rifles from Russia, which Donald Rumsfeld implied would be passed on to FARC, and the purchase of aircraft from Brazil. The U.S. has also warned Israel to not carry through on a deal to upgrade Venezuela’s aging fleet of F-16s, and has similarly pressured Spain.

Organization of American States (OAS)

At the 2005 meeting of the Organization of American States, a United States resolution to add a mechanism to monitor the nature of democracies was widely seen as a move to isolate Venezuela. The failure of the resolution was seen as politically significant, expressing Latin American support for Chavez.

Venezuela has longstanding border disputes with Colombia and Guyana but seeks to resolve them peacefully. Bilateral commissions have been established by Venezuela and Colombia to address a range of pending issues, including resolution of the maritime boundary in the Gulf of Venezuela. Relations with Guyana are complicated by Venezuela’s claim to roughly three-quarters of Guyana’s territory. Since 1987, the two countries have held exchanges on the boundary under the “good offices” of the United Nations.

Disputes - international: claims all of Guyana west of the Essequibo River; maritime boundary dispute with Colombia in the Gulf of Venezuela.

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of opium for the international drug trade on a small scale; however, large quantities of cocaine and heroin transit the country from Colombia bound for US and Europe; important money-laundering hub; active eradication program primarily targeting opium; increasing signs of drug-related activities by Colombian insurgents on border.