Venezuela's Minister of Culture, Ernesto Villegas, warned that growing U.S. military pressure in the Caribbean is part of a broader campaign to "erase Venezuela's identity and culture," in an interview with the Sputnik news agency.
Villegas said that what he called an "imperialist siege" goes beyond political and economic measures, arguing that Venezuela faces a "cultural assault" intended to undermine its national identity. "The siege on countries that imperialism seeks to dominate is not only cultural but essentially cultural," he said. "Physical assassination is preceded by moral assassination. The goal is to kill Venezuela — even Venezuelan identity itself."
