Canada suspends operations temporarily at its embassy in Venezuela

Chrystia Freeland on Sunday said that the administration of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro limited the possibility for some foreign missions to function in the country.

"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" Chrystia Freeland said, according to a report in The Washington Post.

However, Canada will continue to provide consular assistance to Canadians in Venezuela through the embassy in Colombia, according to Freeland.

For several months, Canada has advised its countrymen to avoid all travels to Venezuela.

Canada has played a key role within the Lima Group, which is made up of nearly a dozen Latin American nations and Canada. It has led the push to recognise opposition lawmaker Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s rightful leader and seeks ways to remove Maduro.

Freeland said Canada will continue to speak out against the Maduro regime. Freeland is attending a Lima Group meeting in New York on Monday.

Earlier, US had withdrawn its remaining embassy staff from Venezuela in March, citing a deteriorating situation.

Venezuela is in the throes of a historic political and social crisis marked by shortages of food and medicine that has driven 3 million people to flee the country in recent years.