May 13 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuela's Foreign Ministry said German Chancellor Angela Merkel's ``attacks'' against President Hugo Chavez may hurt Germany's relations with Latin America, days before the leaders are scheduled to meet at a summit.

Merkel said in a May 11 interview with Deutsche Presse- Agentur that Chavez doesn't speak for all of Latin America. In response, the Venezuelan president said that Merkel comes from the same ``right-wing'' that supported Adolf Hitler and fascism, the Associated Press reported.

``Her statements do not only disturb bilateral relations, but also cast doubts on the intention of the German government to strengthen friendly ties with all Latin American and Caribbean countries,'' the Venezuelan foreign ministry said today in a statement.

The Venezuelan and German leaders will meet this week at a summit of Latin American and European leaders in Lima. Chavez, who was told to ``shut up'' by King Juan Carlos I of Spain at a similar summit in Santiago last year, won't let the chancellor's comments interfere with Venezuela's ties with the rest of the European Union, according to the statement.

A spokesperson for Merkel declined to comment when contacted by Bloomberg News.

In 2007, Germany imported 932 million euros ($1.45 billion) in goods from Venezuela, which in turn imported 776 million euros from Germany, according to date from Germany's Federal Bureau of Statistics, provided by the country's embassy in Caracas.

To contact the reporter on this story: Matthew Walter in Caracas at mwalter4@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: May 13, 2008 13:41 EDT