UPDATE - Venezuela expels German ambassador

ADDS GERMAN FM'S REMARKS

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN (AA) – Venezuela on Wednesday ordered Germany’s ambassador to leave the country after he expressed support for opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza accused Daniel Kriener of “repeated acts of interference in the country’s internal affairs" and posted a government statement on Twitter saying he has 48 hours to leave the country.

The ambassador "has been declared persona non grata,” a spokesman for Germany’s Foreign Ministry said, adding the German government is in talks with its partners on the matter.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas later said in a statement that Venezuela’s move to expel a German diplomat "is an incomprehensible decision which aggravates the situation and does not contribute to de-escalation".

Maas hailed Kriener's recent work in Caracas and said Germany decided to call him back for consultations.

He also said the European Union's support for Guaido would continue.

Venezuela has been rocked by protests since Jan. 10, when Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a second term following a vote boycotted by the opposition.

Tensions escalated when Guaido, who heads Venezuela’s National Assembly, declared himself acting president on Jan. 23, a move which was supported by the U.S. and many European and Latin American countries.

Turkey, Russia, Iran, Cuba, China and Bolivia reiterated their support for Maduro, who vowed to cut all diplomatic and political ties with the U.S. Maduro insists he is a victim of a U.S.-orchestrated coup amid a spiraling economic and humanitarian crisis in the country.

U.S. President Donald Trump pointed to military intervention as among a number of options he could choose to help resolve the crisis.

Venezuela is experiencing widespread shortages of food and medicine and has the highest inflation rate in the world, according to the International Monetary Fund.