Venezuela denies EU lawmakers entry given 'conspiratorial motives'

Venezuela Minister of Foreign Affairs Jorge Arreaza responds to questions in the press briefing room at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, U.S. February 12, 2019. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela denied a group of European Parliament deputies entry into the country on Sunday, arguing they had "conspiratorial motives" for flying to Caracas in the throes of a political crisis.

The European Parliament last month joined a slew of Western nations in recognising Venezuelan opposition chief Juan Guaido as interim head of state after President Nicolas Maduro won a second term in an election last year that critics denounced as a sham.