CARACAS, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan Communication and Information Minister Freddy Nanez on Sunday condemned as a "war crime" the U.S. attack on the South American nation earlier this month.

At an international cultural event, Nanez underlined the historical responsibility of the international cultural community in the face of an escalation of violence and a process of weakening international law.

The stigmatization against Venezuela responds to economic interests associated with its natural resources rather than ideological motivations, he said, recalling historical precedents of external interference in other nations.

According to Nanez, there has been an intensification of hostility since 2019 with sanctions, covert operations and the illegal appropriation of Venezuelan assets, but "Venezuela will not surrender."

He also called upon poets, artists and intellectuals around the world to assume ethical and active responsibility in the face of threats to the self-determination of peoples. ■