Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Gil stated on Saturday that his country is a state that builds, works, and defends its sovereignty with peace and dignity, and has never been a drug state.

In a post on his Telegram channel, Gil emphasized: “Venezuela is not, and has never been, a drug state. This narrative has been disproven by the facts and its falsehood confirmed after the illegal, unlawful, and brutal U.S. attack, of which we were victims, resulting in the deaths of more than one hundred people, including innocent civilians and military personnel, and culminating in the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.”

He asserted that the U.S. attack violated the immunity of President Maduro and his wife and breached international law, as part of a declared plan to control oil resources.

Gil added: “The Venezuelan people pray daily for peace, but they also cultivate, produce, and defend the country’s stability alongside the Bolivarian government, while others pursue energy interests and resort to violence.”