The crisis in Venezuela was an opportunity for Damascus to become more involved in the Russian orbit and Moscow's alliances in the Middle East and the world.
On Wednesday, the Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the “failed coup attempt” in Venezuela and accused the United States of seeking to destabilize the country, the official SANA news agency reported.
Venezuela is witnessing a political crisis, as Parliament Speaker Juan Guaido has declared himself acting president and was recognized by 50 countries, including the United States.
President Nicolas Maduro rejected the move and announced last Tuesday the failure of military action against him. In response, Washington hinted at military intervention in support of Guaido.
Maduro’s government is one of Damascus’ allies. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza visited Damascus last month and met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The latter had visited Caracas before the Syrian crisis broke out in 2011.
Damascus’ support for Maduro coincided with a visit to the Syrian capital by North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong Guk, who stressed his keenness to “deepen the historical friendship between the two countries in various economic, military and political fields,” according to SANA.
Pak Myong Guk briefed Syrian officials on the outcome of talks between North Korean President Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Since the direct Russian military intervention in Syria in September 2015, Damascus has taken political, military and economic steps to strengthen its relations with Moscow's allies.
The foreign minister of the “Republic of Abkhazia” announced the imminent opening of an embassy in Damascus, in response to the latter’s recognition last year of the independence of the "republics" of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Thus, Syria became the fifth country to recognize the separation of these two regions from Georgia after Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Nauru.
Moreover, in addition to the presence of the Russian army and the Tartous and Hmeimim bases in Latakia, thousands of military police from the special forces of Chechnya are deployed in Syria under the orders of President Ramzan Kadyrov, a friend of Putin.
