UPDATE – Venezuela expels German ambassador

ADDS GERMAN FM'S REMARKS</p> <p>By Ayhan Simsek </p> <p>BERLIN (AA) – Venezuela on Wednesday ordered Germany’s ambassador to leave the country after he expressed support for opposition leader Juan Guaido.</p> <p>Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza accused Daniel Kriener of “repeated acts of interference in the country’s internal affairs&quot; and posted a government statement on Twitter saying he has 48 hours to leave the country.</p> <p>The ambassador &quot;has been declared persona non grata,” a spokesman for Germany’s Foreign Ministry said, adding the German government is in talks with its partners on the matter. </p> <p>German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas later said in a statement that Venezuela’s move to expel a German diplomat &quot;is an incomprehensible decision which aggravates the situation and does not contribute to de-escalation&quot;.</p> <p>Maas hailed Kriener's recent work in Caracas and said Germany decided to call him back for consultations.</p> <p> He also said the European Union's support for Guaido would continue.</p> <p>Venezuela has been rocked by protests since Jan. 10, when Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a second term following a vote boycotted by the opposition.</p> <p>Tensions escalated when Guaido, who heads Venezuela’s National Assembly, declared himself acting president on Jan. 23, a move which was supported by the U.S. and many European and Latin American countries.</p> <p>Turkey, Russia, Iran, Cuba, China and Bolivia reiterated their support for Maduro, who vowed to cut all diplomatic and political ties with the U.S. Maduro insists he is a victim of a U.S.-orchestrated coup amid a spiraling economic and humanitarian crisis in the country.</p> <p>U.S. President Donald Trump pointed to military intervention as among a number of options he could choose to help resolve the crisis.</p> <p>Venezuela is experiencing widespread shortages of food and medicine and has the highest inflation rate in the world, according to the International Monetary Fund.