Venezuela expelled on Saturday diplomats of El Salvador, giving the officials 48 hours to leave the country.
The decision comes a day after El Salvador initiated the cut of diplomatic ties by expelling Venezuelan diplomats of the country.
#COMMUNIQUÉ | In accordance with the principle of reciprocity, Venezuela expels diplomatic personnel from El Salvador in Caracas. Bukele officially assumes the sad role of pawn of U.S. foreign policy by giving oxygen to its strategy of aggression against the Venezuelan people pic.twitter.com/Oa3ywfxGcg
— Cancillería Venezuela 🇻🇪 (@CancilleriaVE) 3 ноября 2019 г.
El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele assumed office on 1 June, and since the beginning, he has distanced himself from Venezuela and proclaimed the United States to be his country's greatest historical ally.
#COMUNICADO | En apego al principio de reciprocidad, Venezuela expulsa al personal diplomático de El Salvador en Caracas. Bukele asume oficialmente el triste papel de peón de la política exterior de EEUU, al dar oxígeno a su estrategia de agresión contra el pueblo venezolano. pic.twitter.com/rakTcO5DSq
— Jorge Arreaza M (@jaarreaza) 3 ноября 2019 г.
Nayib Bukele recognised the head of the country’s legislature Juan Guaido as "president in charge of Venezuela" and advocated "in the near future, the receipt of credentials from the new diplomatic representation of Venezuela."
Venezuela has been suffering from a severe political crisis since late January when US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido proclaimed himself interim president in a bid to oust Venezuelan President Maduro from power.
Maduro has accused Guaido of being a US puppet, working with Washington to orchestrate a coup so that the US can control Venezuela’s vast fossil fuel reserves, the largest in the world.
