"I decided to close the embassy and all the consulates of Venezuela in the United States," Maduro said in an address to the country's Supreme Court broadcast by VTV8 television.

Nicolas Maduro also said that he agrees with Mexico and Uruguay call for dialogue, Reuters reported.

Earlier, the Venezuelan Embassy in the United States stopped consular services due to the severance of diplomatic relations between the countries.

Meanwhile, Venezuela's ambassador to Moscow said that Caracas is not going to take any actions against US diplomats in Venezuela, who are going to lose their diplomatic immunity after the 72 hours given by Maduro to leave the country to avoid reciprocal reaction from Washington. Venezuelan Ambassador added that the US diplomats can stay if they want.

Previously, the US government recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president. Some countries made the same move, namely: Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Peru.

READ MORE: Turmoil in Venezuela Unlikely to Hurt Financial Ties With China — Scholars

Maduro said that Washington had attempted to stage a coup d'etat in Venezuela and announced his decision to cut off diplomatic relations with the United States. </s> LIMA, Peru (AP) - The Latest on a regional meeting about Venezuela's political crisis. (all times local):

A dozen Latin American governments have urged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to abstain from being sworn in for a second term next week and cede power until new elections can be held. They say it is the only way to restore democracy in the South American nation.

The strong rebuke came following a meeting Friday of high-ranking diplomats from the 12 regional governments and Canada in Peru's capital to discuss Venezuela's crisis ahead of Maduro's plans to be sworn in Jan. 10 for a second term he won in elections widely condemned as illegitimate.

Mexico also partook in the meeting of the so-called Lima Group but didn't sign the statement.

The group also called for a toughening of sanctions against Maduro's government and expressed support for efforts to initiate proceedings against his government at the International Criminal Court.

Brazil's Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo, right, and Canada's Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrew Leslie, left, attend a meeting of the Lima Group concerning Venezuela in Lima, Peru, Friday, Jan. 4, 2019. A coalition of international leaders gather in Lima to define a strategy for resolving Venezuela's growing crisis ahead of President Nicolas Maduro's Jan. 10 inauguration to a second term, which is widely dismissed as illegitimate. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Maduro has disavowed the group's recommendations in the past and his foreign minister on Friday accused the countries of taking orders from U.S. President Donald Trump. </s> Ottawa [Canada], Jun 3 (ANI): Canada temporarily suspended operations at its embassy in Venezuela on Sunday, as per the Canadian foreign minister Chrystia Freeland.

"At the end of this month, Canadian diplomats in Venezuela will no longer be in a position to obtain diplomatic accreditation under the Maduro regime, and their visas will expire. Therefore, we are left with no choice but to temporarily suspend our operations at the Embassy of Canada to Venezuela, effective immediately," Sputnik quoted Freeland as stating.

However, Freeland added that consular assistance would be provided to its citizens in Venezuela through Canada's embassy in Colombia.

Venezuela has witnessed large-scale protests ever since its President Nicolas Maduro took oath in January. National Assembly President Juan Guaido proclaimed himself to be the President of Venezuela amidst a crowd of cheering protesters, demanding Maduro's immediate exit.

The United States immediately backed his claim, followed by other countries like UK, Spain, Japan, who all viewed the elections which propelled Maduro to power as rigged. They also called for Maduro to either hold fresh elections or step down from his post.

Rejecting the idea of holding fresh elections, Maduro has continued to hold on to his post, accusing the United States of backing coup attempts against him. He had also blamed the US for the major blackouts which gripped the country recently. Furthermore, he has also claimed to have military support on various occasions. (ANI) </s> The Lima Group of Latin American countries on Friday urged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to abstain from being sworn in for a second term he won in elections widely condemned as illegitimate, and cede power until new elections can be held.

The bloc said in a statement that they would not recognize Maduro's socialist government after a meeting in the Peruvian capital to discuss how to step up international pressure on the Maduro regime.

The meeting discussed Venezuela's crisis ahead of Maduro's plans to be sworn in on January 10. Mexico also partook but didn't sign Friday's statement.

Maduro has presided over an financial crisis which has led to recession, hyperinflation and a collapsing economy, which have left the population with critical shortages of electricity, food and medicine, as well as a crumbling infrastructure.

Read more: What is going on in Venezuela?

What did the Lima Group decide?

The declaration signed on Friday states that the following measures have been agreed by the governments of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Saint Lucia:
• Reevaluate the status or level of diplomatic relations with Venezuela.
• Prevent Venezuelan officials from entering the territory of the countries of the Lima Group.
• Urges other nations to support an International Criminal Court investigation into the commission of possible crimes against humanity in Venezuela.
• Calls on the international community to adopt similar measures.

At least 16 Latin American nations, as well as the United States, had warned Venezuela ahead of the May 2018 election that it would be seen as illegitimate by the region unless it restored democratic standards before the poll.

A joint declaration put out at the Summit of the Americas in Peru in April said the election would be "void of legitimacy and credibility" if it went ahead under current conditions.

The joint statement was signed by the 16-nation Lima Group, which includes Latin America's biggest economies of Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Chile. The United States also signed the declaration.

The opposition in Venezuela said that President Nicolas Maduro has prepared a rigged snap election to deliver him a new mandate and tighten his hold over his economically devastated country.

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here. </s> LIMA (Reuters) - Peru has recalled its charge d’affaires from its embassy in Venezuela to protest what it called the “illegitimate” new term of President Nicolas Maduro, Peru’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

Peru will also bar Maduro and 100 people linked to him or his government from entry, the ministry added.

Maduro started a second term on Thursday, defying critics who called him an illegitimate usurper of a nation where economic chaos has wrought a humanitarian crisis. </s> On 19 February, the Latin American country’s regional military chief announced the closure of the Venezuelan maritime border with the Dutch Caribbean.

Venezuela will close the border with neighboring island nations, suspend air traffic and revise their diplomatic ties, its Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said Wednesday after the Caribbean island of Curacao agreed to act as a hub for relief aid shipments.

“Venezuela has decided not only to shut the border but also to revise relations with these countries. These measures will be in place until their governments start following and respecting international laws,” she said at a press conference broadcast by the state television.

Earlier in the day, the Reuters news agency reports, citing a regional military commander that Venezuela’s government had reopened its national maritime border with the Dutch Antilles islands following its closure on Tuesday.

This comes after Venezuela’s regional military chief said on Tuesday that he had ordered the closure of the Venezuelan maritime border with the Dutch Antilles islands. The move was made amid Dutch plans to open a logistical hub for humanitarian aid on the island of Curacao, however, the exact reasons behind Caracas’ decision to close the border remain unclear.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro refused to accept US aid that is currently waiting in Colombia, blasting it as a ploy to topple his government.

Venezuela is in the midst of a political crisis, which escalated in late January when Venezuelan opposition parliamentary speaker Juan Guaido declared himself interim president, disputing last year’s re-election of Maduro.

Guaido was recognized by the United States and a number of other countries. At the same time, Russia, China, Mexico, Turkey and Uruguay were among those that voiced their support for Maduro as the country’s legitimately elected president. </s> MEDELLIN, Colombia: Members of the Organization of American States (OAS) ended two days of meetings on Friday without a clear plan for increasing pressure on embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, despite a majority vote to recognise a representative from the country's opposition.

The oil-rich country's economic and political crisis has dominated recent OAS meetings, with some member states denouncing Maduro as a dictator and others continuing to back him.

OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro had said the group would seek to ramp up pressure on Maduro during this week's session in Medellin, Colombia and even debate eventual sanctions.

But the member states were divided by the presence of a representative sent by Veneuzela's opposition leader Juan Guaido, who argued that Maduro's 2018 re-election was illegitimate. In January, Guaido invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency.

Uruguay withdrew from the assembly on Thursday in protest. The OAS permanent council approved the delegation in April but member states did not vote on it until Friday when 20 countries including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, the United States and Peru backed recognition until Venezuela holds its next elections.

Eight countries voted against recognising the delegation, while six abstained. Bolivia, Mexico and Nicaragua have expressed dismay at the opposition's presence.

"Colombia voted with enthusiasm for this declaration," said Colombian foreign minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo. "The only objective that we all seek is for our Venezuelan brothers to finally be able to vote freely for the government they want."

The leader of the opposition delegation said the Venezuelan people need a voice at the OAS.

"Our delegation is grateful for this support of our people," Julio Borges said during the meeting. "We can only tackle the Venezuelan tragedy in one way - giving a voice to the Venezuelan people."

Guaido tweeted that the vote was a great victory for the cause of Venezuelan democracy.

Maduro announced Venezuela's withdrawal from the OAS in 2017 and has accused the Washington-based group of being a U.S. pawn.

Venezuela, home to the world's largest oil reserves, has been in political limbo as shortages of food and medicine have led millions to flee.

The number of Venezuelan migrants abroad could double by the end of next year to 8 million, the OAS said in a report on Friday.

The assembly also approved a resolution supporting a peaceful solution to Nicaragua's political crisis, which has rolled on for more than a year amid protests against President Daniel Ortega. </s> Ottawa: Canada announced on Sunday it was temporarily shutting its embassy in Venezuela, blaming President Nicolas Maduro for refusing to accredit diplomats critical of his regime.

At the same time, Ottawa is reviewing the status of Maduro envoys to Canada.

Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement that "the regime has taken steps to limit the ability of foreign embassies to function in Venezuela, particularly those advocating for the restoration of democracy" there.

In January, Canada, along with the United States and major Latin American powers, was among the first to recognise Venezuelan Opposition leader Juan Guaido's claim to be acting president, beginning a months-long power struggle between him and Maduro.

Soon, Canadian diplomats in Venezuela "will no longer be in a position to obtain diplomatic accreditation under the Maduro regime, and their visas will expire", Freeland said.

"Therefore, we are left with no choice but to temporarily suspend our operations at the Embassy of Canada to Venezuela, effective immediately."

More than 50 countries now recognise Guaido rather than leftist firebrand Maduro, who has presided over a crumbling economy and was re-elected in a ballot widely regarded as a sham.

Freeland also said Canada is "evaluating the status of Venezuelan diplomats appointed by the Maduro regime to Canada". </s> CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Nicolas Maduro celebrated the start to a second term as Venezuela's leader Thursday, but his world got smaller as countries seized upon the inauguration to cut back diplomatic ties, reject his legitimacy and label him a dictator.

Once among Latin America's wealthiest countries, Venezuela is enduring a historic crisis following two decades of socialist rule, with residents struggling to afford basic goods as inflation soars, driving mass migration.

Maduro's second six-year term extends the country's socialist revolution amid widespread complaints that he has stripped the country of its last vestiges of democracy.

Seventeen Latin American countries, the United States and Canada denounced Maduro's government as illegitimate in a measure adopted Thursday.

Maduro rejected the accusation, vowing to continue the legacy of the late President Hugo Chavez and accused the United States of trying to ignite unrest through its increasing economic sanctions.

"Venezuela is the center of a world war led by the North American imperialists and its allies," he declared in a speech after his swearing-in. "They have tried to convert a normal inauguration into a world war."

Maduro, a 56-year-old former bus driver and Chavez's hand-picked successor, took the helm of government after narrowly winning election following Chavez's 2013 death. He denies being a dictator and often accuses President Donald Trump of leading an economic war against Venezuela that is destroying the country.

In May, Maduro declared victory following an election that his political opponents and many foreign nations consider illegitimate because popular opponents were banned from running and the largest anti-government parties boycotted the race.

On Thursday, the Organization of American States voted not to recognize the legitimacy of Maduro's second term, adopting a resolution presented by Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, the United States, Paraguay and Peru. Venezuela's ambassador to the OAS, Samuel Moncada, denounced the move as "a hostile act ... against the will of our nation."

Paraguay went a step further, severing diplomatic ties. Peru also called home its top diplomat from Caracas in protest and banned 100 members of Maduro's administration from entering the country. Argentina suspended Venezuelan diplomatic and official passports for banned high-ranking members of Maduro's administration from entering.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that the United States would keep up pressure in support of the Venezuelan people.

"It is time for Venezuelan leaders to make a choice," Pompeo said. "Now is the time to convince the Maduro dictatorship that the moment has arrived for democracy to return to Venezuela."

Argentine President Mauricio Macri also denounced Maduro, saying he lacks the authenticity won through honest elections despite the elaborate inauguration ceremony.

"Nicolas Maduro today is making a mockery of democracy," Macri said on Twitter. "Venezuelans know it, the world knows it. Venezuela lives under a dictatorship."

Most countries from Europe and Latin American didn't send representatives to the swearing-in.

Presidents Miguel Diaz-Canel of Cuba, Evo Morales of Bolivia and Anatoli Bibilov of a breakaway province of Georgia were among the few foreign leaders who attended the ceremony at the country's Supreme Court.

Venezuela, which sits atop the world's largest oil reserves, produced 3.5 million barrels of crude daily when Chavez took power. Output has plummeted to less than a third of that. Critics blame years of rampant corruption and mismanagement of the state-run oil company PDVSA.

The economic collapse has thrown the nation of 30 million people into turmoil.

The economy in 2019 will continue to contract and inflation will skyrocket at a staggering 23 million percent, forecasts Francisco Rodriguez, a former Venezuelan official who is now chief economist at New York-based Torino Capital.

An estimated 2.3 million Venezuelans have fled, according to the United Nations. Those remaining live on a monthly minimum wage equal to less than $5 and falling daily.

Venezuela's splintered opposition movement has failed to counter the socialist party's dominance as Maduro's government has jailed or driven into exile its most popular leaders.

The opposition-led Congress opened its session for the year, led by 35-year-old Juan Guaido, who accused Maduro of "usurping the presidency."

"Today there is no head of state. Today there is no commander-in-chief," Guaido said.

The Trump administration has increased pressure on Maduro through financial sanctions, targeting dozens in Maduro's government. U.S. banks are also banned from doing business with Venezuela, putting a financial strangle-hold on the cash-strapped country.

David Smilde, a Tulane University professor and expert on Venezuela, said that sanctions aren't likely to create change. Ultimately, Maduro's government isn't worried about its international reputation, he said.

"He still has control of the institutions," Smilde said. "He has the guns. He has the money."

While Maduro's popularity has plunged amid scarcities, hyperinflation and rising authoritarianism that have sparked a mass emigration, supporters who receive government subsidies in shantytowns continue to back him.

"It's not the president's fault," said Frances Velazquez, a 43-year-old mother of two who survives with the help of government-subsidized boxes of rice, flour and cooking oil. Velazquez blamed opportunists who drive up the prices of scarce items for making life difficult for families like hers.

Others, like 52-year-old construction worker Ramon Bermudez, have lost hope of escaping Maduro's rule.

He pointed out the irony of living in a nation with the world's most abundant oil reserves yet having to wait in line overnight to fill three small canisters of natural gas to cook at home.

"All that's left to do is raise your hand to heaven and ask God to help us," said Bermudez, camped out on a Caracas sidewalk with hundreds of others waiting for gas. "There's nothing more."

Associated Press writers Luis Alonso Lugo in Washington and Fabiola Sanchez and Jorge Rueda in Caracas contributed to this report.
Several Latin American countries close their embassies in Venezuela in protest of Maduro's "illegitimate" election.