Venezuela halts all diplomatic communication with US after diplomats expelled

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuela’s foreign minister says the South American country has cut off all diplomatic contact with the United States because Washington is meddling in its domestic affairs.

Elias Jaua said Wednesday that “any type of contact has been postponed” until officials in Washington respect Venezuela’s sovereignty and stop commenting on its internal matters.

Venezuela’s government expelled two military attaches earlier this month for allegedly talking to members of the country’s armed forces. Washington responded by expelling two Venezuelan diplomats, who were honoured by Jaua Wednesday.

The two countries already don’t have ambassadors in each other’s countries.

Acting leader Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly accused former U.S. officials of plotting to kill an opposition presidential candidate seeking to replace the late President Hugo Chavez.