CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has staged a rally to celebrate its split with a key regional forum, the Organization of American States.

Supporters of Maduro on Saturday attended the rally in the Venezuelan capital to denounce the 35-member OAS, whose council voted this month to recognize an envoy selected by opposition leader Juan Guaidó. A minority of countries voted against the resolution.

In 2017, Maduro started a two-year process to abandon the OAS, but Guaidó this year asked the group to ignore the socialist leader and instead designate Gustavo Tarre as his own envoy.

The U.S. and most other OAS member states recognize Guaidó as Venezuela's interim president, saying Maduro wasn't legitimately re-elected last year. Maduro says the OAS is violating Venezuela's sovereignty.