EPP politicians are accused of “conspiratorial motives” for wanting to meet Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó.

On Sunday, Venezuela banned entry to a group of MEPs and accused them of “conspiratorial motives.” The four members of the conservative European People’s Party (EPP) wanted to meet the opposition leader of Venezuela Juan Guaidó, according to a delegation member.

“We are expelled from Venezuela,” said Spanish MEP Esteban González Pons on Sunday at the airport of the Venezuelan capital Caracas. “They kept our passports, they did not give us any reasons.” González Pons stressed that he and the four other MEPs had an official invitation from the Venezuelan Parliament, whose president is the opposition leader Guaidó. Together with González Pons, the Spanish MEPs José Ignacio Salafranca, Gabriel Mato Adrover, the Esther de Lange from the Netherlands and the Portuguese Paulo Rangel Wanted to enter. They all belong to the Group of the Christian-Democratic European People’s Party (EPP).

Guaidó criticized in the short message service Twitter, the MEPs have been expelled from an “isolated and increasingly irrational regime”. Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, on the other hand, said about the short message service that MEPs had been warned several days before they entered the country. They would have wanted to visit the country with “conspiratorial targets” and should abstain from further “provocations”.

Parliament leader Guaidó had appointed himself interim president on 23 January, openly challenging the controversial President Nicolas Maduro. Guaidó is now recognized as a transitional president by 50 states, including the US, a number of Latin American countries, and several EU states such as Germany and Austria, but not the whole EU. The EU Parliament has Guaidó however, recognized on 31 January as a transitional president.