United Kingdom–Venezuela relations

{{Main|Battle of Carabobo}}

Of Bolívar's force in the Battle of Carabobo, of 6,500 or 8,000, between 340{{cite book|author=Gonzalo Pulido Ramirez|title=Estudio Histórico de la batalla de Carabobo (1821)|publisher=Universidad Andrés Bello, Instituto de Investigaciones Históricas|year=2011|pages=163–164}} or 350{{cite journal|author=Real Academia de la Historia|title=Boletin de la Real Academia de la Historia|volume=CCIV|pages=42–43}} were men of the British Rangers battalion, the great majority of them of Anglophone origin,{{cite book|author=Flórez Alvarez|url=https://archive.org/details/campaalibertador00flre|title=Campaña libertadora de 1821|publisher=Imprenta del E. M. G.|year=1921|location=Bogotá, Colombia|pages=[https://archive.org/details/campaalibertador00flre/page/200 200]}} commanded by Colonel Thomas Ilderton Ferrier and including many former members of the King's German Legion. Though greatly outnumbered and low on supplies, the legion soldiers managed to maintain control of tactically critical hills. By the battle's end, the legionary force had suffered 119 deaths, of which 11 were officers. Col. Ferrier was among the dead. Bolívar later praised the Legion troops and called them the "Saviors of my Fatherland", noting that they had distinguished themselves among other armies.{{cite journal|author=Piero Gleijeses|title=The Limits of Sympathy: The United States and the Independence of Spanish America|journal=Journal of Latin American Studies|year=1992|volume=24|issue=3|pages=481–505|publisher=Cambridge University Press|doi=10.1017/S0022216X00024251|jstor=156773|s2cid=145292464 }}

{{Main|Venezuelan crisis of 1895}}

During the late 19th century, Britain refused to include in the proposed international arbitration the disputed territory with Venezuela east of the "Schomburgk Line", which a surveyor had drawn half-a-century earlier as a boundary between Venezuela and the former Dutch territory of British Guiana.King (2007:249) The dispute ultimately saw Britain accept the United States' mediation in the dispute to force arbitration of the entire dispute territory, and tacitly accept the US right to intervene under the Monroe Doctrine. A tribunal convened in Paris in 1898 to decide the matter, and in 1899 awarded the bulk of the disputed territory to British Guiana.Graff, Henry F., Grover Cleveland (2002). {{ISBN|0-8050-6923-2}}. pp123-25

Although in the 20th century both countries were mostly on good terms, Venezuela expressed its support to Argentina over the Falklands Islands dispute that eventually led to the Falklands War between the United Kingdom and Argentina in 1982.{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/falklandislands/9063065/Hugo-Chavez-says-Venezuelan-troops-would-fight-with-Argentina-over-Falklands.html |title=Hugo Chavez says Venezuelan troops would fight with Argentina over Falklands |date=6 February 2012 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph}}{{Cite web |date=2012-02-05 |title=Chavez And Allies Back Argentina On Falklands |url=https://www.salon.com/2012/02/05/chavez_and_allies_back_argentina_on_falklands/ |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=Salon |language=en}}

In many Models of United Nations in Venezuela, particularly Caracas, as guests, many British representatives gave a speech in what is known as a "opening act".

{{See also|Venezuelan presidential crisis}}

As of August 2017, the British Government advised against 'all but essential travel' to Venezuela, and withdrew dependents of British Embassy staff, due to the 'ongoing unrest and instability', citing the protests and crime in the country.{{cite web

| publisher = HM. Government

| title = Venezuela Travel Advice

| url = https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/venezuela

| access-date = 8 August 2017

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170808091916/https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/venezuela

| archive-date = 8 August 2017}}

In January 2019 during a visit to the United States, UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt stated that "Nicolás Maduro is not the legitimate leader of Venezuela" and Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó should become President of Venezuela.{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-statement-on-situation-in-venezuela |title=Foreign Secretary statement on situation in Venezuela, January 2019 |publisher=Foreign and Commonwealth Office |date=24 January 2019 |access-date=29 May 2020}} On 4 February 2019, Hunt stated that the UK officially recognised Guaidó as president.{{cite news |url=https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/jeremy-hunt-says-uk-recognises-juan-guaid%C3%B3-as-president-of-crisishit-venezuela |title=Jeremy Hunt says UK recognises Juan Guaidó as president of crisis-hit Venezuela |last=Casalicchio |first=Emilio |website=PoliticsHome |date=4 February 2019 |access-date=29 May 2020}} However the United Kingdom continued to maintain consular and diplomatic relations with the Maduro controlled government, suggesting some ambiguity. This policy is a partial exception to the UK's long held policy of recognising states rather than specific governments.{{cite web |url=https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/foreign-affairs/Correspondence/2017-19/Correspondence-between-Chair-and-AD-Venezuela.pdf |title=To Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee |last=Duncan |first=Alan |publisher=UK Parliament |work=House of Commons |date=25 February 2019 |access-date=29 May 2020}}

In Autumn 2019 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office created the 'Venezuela Reconstruction Unit' led by John Saville, formerly UK ambassador to Venezuela, to coordinate a UK effort to support Venezuela. After this became public in May 2020, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza summoned the UK's Chargé d'Affaires "to present a formal protest and demand explanations", and in a Twitter post wrote "We demand that the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland withdraw from Washington's coup plans and from any destabilizing initiative".{{cite news |url=https://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/mercosur/british-support-for-destabilization-in-venezuela-uncovered/ |title=British Support for Opposition Administration in Venezuela Uncovered |last=Martinez |first=Juan |website=The Rio Times |date=17 May 2020 |access-date=29 May 2020}}{{cite news |url=https://nation.com.pk/15-May-2020/caracas-seeks-coup-attempt-explanation-over-venezuela-reconstruction-unit-in-uk-embassy |title=Caracas seeks 'coup attempt' explanation over 'Venezuela Reconstruction Unit' in UK Embassy |website=The Nation |location=Lahore |date=15 May 2020 |access-date=29 May 2020}} Venezuela characterised the Venezuela Reconstruction Unit as an attempt to give future preferred status to British companies in Venezuela.{{cite press release |url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2020/sc14193.doc.htm |title=Real Negotiation among Venezuela's Main Political Actors 'Only Way Forward' to Resolving Protracted Crisis, Under-Secretary-General Tells Security Council |id=SC/14193 |publisher=United Nations |date=20 May 2020 |access-date=29 May 2020}}

Since 2018, the Bank of England has delayed releasing 31 tonnes of Venezuelan gold to the Maduro government. UK foreign office minister Alan Duncan said in January 2019 that while the disposition of the gold was a Bank of England decision, "they will take into account there are now a large number of countries across the world questioning the legitimacy of Nicolás Maduro and recognising that of Juan Guaidó.".{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/28/juan-guaido-bank-england-urged-give-venezuela-gold-reserve-interim-leader-rather-than-nicolas-maduro |title=Bank of England urged to give Juan Guaidó Venezuela's gold |last=Wintour |first=Patrick |newspaper=The Guardian |date=28 January 2019 |access-date=29 May 2020}}

On 14 May 2020, the Central Bank of Venezuela filed a legal action against the Bank of England, to force Britain to release the €930m worth of gold to the United Nations Development Programme to buy healthcare equipment, medicine, and food for the COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela. Guaidó has appointed a parallel Venezuelan central bank board of directors, so the court will have to decide which board of directors legally controls the gold.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/28/uk-court-must-decide-which-faction-to-recognise-in-venezuela-gold-case |title=UK court must decide which leader to recognise in Venezuela gold case |agency=Reuters |newspaper=The Guardian |date=28 May 2020 |access-date=29 May 2020}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/19/venezuela-bank-england-1bn-gold-coronavirus-covid-19-response |title=Venezuela in bid to force Bank of England to transfer $1bn of gold |agency=Reuters |newspaper=The Guardian |date=19 May 2020 |access-date=29 May 2020}} In July 2020 the High Court ruled that Guaidó was interim president, but the Court of Appeal ruled in October 2020 that the British Foreign Secretary's statement on recognition was ambiguous, clarified the legal importance of the distinction between de jure president and de facto president, and returned the case to the High Court for reconsideration.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/05/uk-court-overturns-ruling-on-18bn-of-venezuelan-gold |title=UK court overturns ruling on $1.8bn of Venezuelan gold |last=Wintour |first=Patrick |newspaper=The Guardian |date=5 October 2020 |access-date=5 October 2020}}{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/10/05/venezuelas-nicolas-maduro-wins-court-appeal-battle-for800m-gold/ |title=Venezuela's Maduro wins Court of Appeal battle to access £800m gold bullion |last=Alexander |first=Harriet |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |url-access=subscription |date=5 October 2020 |access-date=5 October 2020}}{{cite web |url=https://www.4pumpcourt.com/de-facto-and-de-jure-presidents-the-maduro-board-of-the-central-bank-of-venezuela-appellant-v-the-guaido-board-of-the-central-bank-of-venezuela/ |title=De facto and de jure Presidents - The Maduro Board of the Central Bank of Venezuela (Appellant) v The Guaidó Board of the Central Bank of Venezuela |last=Hoffmann |first=Anna |website=4 Pump Court |date=6 October 2020 |access-date=6 October 2020}}

• United Kingdom has an embassy in Caracas.[https://www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-venezuela Embassy of the United Kingdom in Caracas]
• Venezuela has an embassy and a consulate-general in London.[http://reinounido.embajada.gob.ve Embassy of Venezuela in London]

File:Venezualan Embassy London 8772.jpg|Embassy of Venezuela in London

File:56 Grafton Way, Fitzrovia, August 2022.jpg|Consulate-General of Venezuela in London

• Venezuela Crisis of 1895, a border conflict about sovereignty of Venezuelan territory of Essequibo which the UK claimed as part of British Guiana.
• Venezuela Crisis of 1902–1903, in which the UK was involved in a military blockade to enforce payment of Venezuelan debts
• Latin America-United Kingdom relations
• Venezuelans in the United Kingdom

{{reflist}}

{{Foreign relations of the United Kingdom}}

{{Foreign relations of Venezuela}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:United Kingdom-Venezuela relations}}

Venezuela

Category:Bilateral relations of Venezuela