The French Foreign Ministry has ordered the Venezuelan embassy to reduce its diplomatic staff, in response to Caracas' earlier decision to limit the number of French diplomats to three.

"This decision is a measure of reciprocity following the decision of the Venezuelan authorities (...) for reasons that we categorically reject," the French diplomatic spokesman told reporters.

The French Foreign Ministry "on Monday, January 20, asked the Venezuelan embassy" to "reduce its diplomatic staff and gave the affected agents a five-day deadline to leave the country," it added.

Last Thursday, France had already announced that it would adopt "reciprocal measures", a day after summoning the Venezuelan chargé d'affaires to Paris, but without specifying which or when.

France had already "categorically rejected the allegations of interference" made by Venezuela, and insisted that what it was doing was "maintaining a dialogue with all the parties to facilitate a peaceful solution to the crisis."

He also stressed that the work of his diplomats "in the service of important bilateral cooperation, such as in the fields of security, culture or humanitarian affairs, is carried out fully within the framework of the Vienna Conventions" that regulate diplomatic and consular activity.

Venezuela's measures against France, the Netherlands and Italy

On January 14, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry had limited the number of diplomats from France, the Netherlands and Italy authorized in Venezuela to three per country, considering that their governments have a "hostile conduct," an accusation that Paris rejects.

Caracas also warned that these diplomats would need written authorization to travel more than 40 kilometers from Plaza Bolívar in the Venezuelan capital.

All this is happening in a context of friction over the controversial investiture of Nicolás Maduro on January 10 for a third consecutive term after the July elections, considered fraudulent by the international community.

Last week, the Netherlands ordered Venezuela to eliminate two of four diplomatic posts in the country.