Venezuela requests UN Security Council meet over ongoing U.S. aggression

Venezuela on Wednesday requested that the United Nations Security Council meet to discuss the United States' ongoing aggression against the South American country, according to a letter submitted by the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry to the 15-member body.

In the letter, Venezuela said that throughout its history, no other state leader has ever sought to seize the resources or territory of Venezuela.

It accused U.S. President Donald Trump of violating its sovereignty and undermining its territorial integrity and political independence.

The United States is exacerbating the chaos in international relations, it said, calling on the UN Security Council to prevent such incidents from persisting.

Venezuela said it hopes that the UN Security Council will hold a meeting to discuss the ongoing U.S. aggression.

A UN diplomat said that a Security Council meeting would likely be scheduled for next Tuesday.

Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN chief, said at a daily press briefing on Wednesday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is following the current situation very closely and is engaging with relevant parties.

The secretary-general calls on all stakeholders to honor their obligations under international law, including the UN Charter and any other applicable legal framework, to safeguard peace in the region, according to Haq.

The latest development came after Trump ordered on Tuesday a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, ratcheting up his administration's months-long pressure campaign against President Nicolas Maduro's government.

Denouncing America's "grave and reckless threat," Venezuela reaffirmed its sovereignty over its natural resources and its right to free navigation and commerce in the Caribbean Sea and international waters, adding that it would act in strict accordance with the UN Charter and international law.

Venezuela requests UN Security Council meet over ongoing U.S. aggression

Venezuela requests UN Security Council meet over ongoing U.S. aggression

With China assuming the rotating presidency on Friday, the United Nations Security Council will focus its work in May on revitalizing the authority of the UN Charter and the role of the United Nations, while advancing the political settlement of the Middle East issue, and promoting the stability and development of African countries.

Briefing reporters on the Security Council's priorities for May, Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations and president of the Security Council for May, made the statement on Friday.

In recent years, the world has been witnessing growing turbulence in the international landscape, with conflicts increasing, divisions widening, and the multilateral system, along with international law, under considerable strain, he said, urging the international community to take urgent actions to uphold the authority of the UN Charter and strengthen the role of the United Nations to prevent the world from "relapsing into the jungle" and "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war".

In this context, Fu said, the Security Council will convene a high-level open debate in May under the theme of upholding the purposes and the principles of the UN Charter and strengthening the UN-centered international system.

Security Council to focus on UN's role, Middle East, Africa in May: Chinese envoy