(Trinidad Express) The time has come for Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela to move from simply being “good neighbours” to becoming “good sisters and brothers”, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said.
As a sign of their deepening bond, the leaders of the two countries yesterday expressed their commitment to the joint exploitation of energy reserves, the payment of an outstanding debt to Trinidad and Tobago’s national carrier by Venezuela, increased dialogue over the incarceration of five Muslims from this country in Venezuela, as well as commodity sharing between the two nations and national security cooperation.
Maduro yesterday arrived in this country around 11 a.m. accompanied by his wife, Cilia Flores, and his son, Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra. It was his second visit to Trinidad and Tobago.
A total of 95 Venezuelans, including seven government ministers, security personnel and 20 members of the media, made the trip with Maduro.
Local media, apart from the State-owned Government Information Services Ltd (GISL), were barred from covering both the arrival and departure of Maduro.
The first stop on Maduro’s visit yesterday was a courtesy call on President Anthony Carmona at President’s House in St Ann’s.
The second stop was a visit to the nearby Diplomatic Centre.
Around 12.30 p.m., Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar arrived at the Diplomatic Centre.
She was greeted with the song “Bailamos” played by on the pan by Caribbean Airlines Invaders Steel Orchestra.
Around 1.27 p.m., Maduro arrived at the Diplomatic Centre. He was greeted by the song “Brazil”.
Maduro tried his hand at playing one of Invaders’ tenor pans.
Maduro then paid a private courtesy call on Persad-Bissessar at the Prince Charles Room at the Diplomatic Centre.
Around 2.37 p.m., both leaders then led their respective delegations to the Octagon Room for bilateral talks.
Around 3.49 p.m., Maduro and Persad-Bissessar held a joint news conference.
“Now more than ever we must seek to foster closer ties, enhance cooperation and deepen integration with our partners in the region,” Persad-Bissessar said.
Chief among the discussions yesterday were energy matters, Persad-Bissessar said.
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Two documents were signed. The first was the Unitisation Agreement for the Exploitation and Development of Hydrocarbon Reservoirs of the “Manakin-Cocuina Field” that extends across the delimitation line between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.
The second was the framework Agreement on Energy Sector Cooperation between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.
“Our two countries are energy-driven and the recent drop in oil prices remains at the forefront of developing energy policies, for this reason we believe a joint venture such as this, a unison of strengths would result in capacity to better treat with such fluctuations in the future,” Persad-Bissessar said.
This is the first time in the Western Hemisphere a commercialisation of cross-border reserves has occurred, Persad-Bissessar said. It is only the third time it has happened in the world before.
Maduro said the two countries were showing the world how to operate.
“We can easily see around the world the conflicts, the war, the tensions that are created as a result of the development and the use of resources of energy, gas, etc,” Maduro said.
“On the contrary, in our case we have been able to pave the way for a cooperation that has been translated into agreement for the joint exploitation of our resources which are going to be mutually satisfactory and beneficial.
“I think Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela are setting the example and showing to the world that it is possible to build a world of peace, understanding and development without the conflicts and without the confrontations that we have seen elsewhere in order to foster our developments,” he said.
Maduro yesterday gave his commitment to pay a debt owed to Caribbean Airlines Ltd which started at US$10 million and has been growing steadily since.
“I want to thank his Excellency for a commitment given today for the debt owed to Caribbean Airlines… for some resolution to be brought to this and Excellency was very firm and adamant about the settlement of the debt to Caribbean Airlines Ltd,” she said.
