Athens, March 14, 2019 (AFP)
Bolivian President Evo Morales on Thursday called Venezuela opposition leader Juan Guaido a "viceroy" as he criticised talk of an armed intervention to topple President Nicolas Maduro.
"Have we returned to a colonial setting? Juan Guaido has been recognised as viceroy," Morales said at the start of a two-day visit to Greece at the invitation of fellow leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
Viceroys were royal appointees that ran Latin American colonies in the name of Spanish and Portuguese kings during colonial rule.
"I am convinced that any armed intervention does not solve social problems," he said through an official translator.
"I know Venezuela. Venezuela is fighting for its independence."
Guaido, the head of Venezuela's opposition-ruled congress and self-proclaimed interim president, has been backed by over 50 countries as he seeks to unseat Maduro.
Welcoming Morales, Tsipras said: "Bolivia is a success story, its economy has tripled in size... but the most important achievement is the fall in poverty."
The two leftist leaders had held talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September.
"Regardless (of) the geographic distance between us, we have many political and ideological coincidences; and most of all, we share the same commitment to the social causes of both our countries," Morales had tweeted at the time.
Another meeting between Tsipras and Morales will be held early on Friday.
On a rare trip to Europe, Morales flew to Athens from Vienna, where he presented to the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs the results of his government's anti-drug policy.

Sumber : AFP