Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos (above) announced his decision to recall the country’s ambassador from Caracas in a televised address Thursday, accusing the Venezuelan government of only pursuing “solutions involving force.”
“I have favored dialogue and diplomacy and I will keep doing so, but I cannot allow Venezuela to treat Colombia and Colombians this way,” Santos said.
He added that he had asked his top diplomat to request an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers from the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR).
Later on Thursday, Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez announced on Twitter that his country would also be recalling its ambassador from Colombia “for consultations.” Such a move is considered the diplomatic equivalent of lodging a complaint.
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