Spain says Venezuela’s natural resources belong to its people

By Necva Tastan Sevinc

ISTANBUL (AA) - Spain on Wednesday said Venezuela’s natural resources belong to the Venezuelan people and warned that any attempt to undermine state sovereignty would set a dangerous precedent for the rules-based international order, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said.

Speaking in an interview with RNE, Albares stressed that control over natural resources is a core element of sovereignty and must be respected.

Natural resources "belong to the Venezuelan people,” Albares said, arguing that they are “part of a state’s sovereignty.”

He said what has happened in Caracas in recent days represents "a very dangerous precedent" for international norms, warning that eroding sovereignty over natural resources could destabilize global relations.

Albares reiterated Spain’s opposition to any use of force or external interference in Venezuela, underlining Madrid’s support for a peaceful, democratic outcome driven by Venezuelans themselves.

“Spain supports a broad dialogue between the government and the opposition, a peaceful, democratic and genuinely Venezuelan solution,” he said.

He added that Spain is ready to facilitate mediation “whenever the parties deem it useful.”

He emphasized that Spain’s approach in Latin America is to act as a bridge between actors rather than inflame tensions.

Albares also cautioned against any attempt to change borders by force, firmly rejecting rhetoric suggesting a possible US move to seize Greenland, and voiced full solidarity with Denmark.

“Territories do not change hands capriciously,” Albares said, stressing: “There is a Greenlandic people who have clearly expressed their will and have the right to decide.”

He underlined Spain’s backing for Denmark, adding that respect for sovereignty and the rule of law must remain non-negotiable principles in international relations.

Speaking from a broader European perspective, Albares called for a “moral rearmament” and a decisive leap toward greater political, economic, and strategic sovereignty for the European Union as it confronts mounting global challenges, from the war in Ukraine to rising geopolitical tensions involving the US, Russia, and China.

“Aggression is aggression, regardless of who commits it,” he said, insisting that Europe’s security problem “is not the allies; it is Russian aggression.”

For Albares, the current moment demands a more united Europe capable of speaking with its own voice.