At the 7th Ibero-American Meeting of Ministers of Finance and Economy, Venezuela’s Executive Vice-president Delcy Rodríguez denounced that Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, countries attending this Ibero-American event, are victims of financial, economic blockades.
In this regard, when referring to the Republic of Cuba, Rodríguez underlined that this nation has been suffering from a criminal blockade for over five decades, and despite this blockade, today Cuba has already developed five vaccine candidates, which the Caribbean country is offering to the member countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People’s Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP).
«These countries are the less-favored in the distribution of vaccines and mechanisms to address and contain COVID-19, » she stressed.
Likewise, Rodríguez highlighted that Nicaragua is a country viciously sanctioned and also victim of climate change like its representative said in his statement.
Referring to Venezuela, she underlined that it is suffering an unprecedented, economic, financial aggression.
«My colleagues must know it; they should step into the shoes of Venezuela and know that the country has been deprived of 99% of its foreign earnings, » said Rodríguez via video conference.
The Venezuelan vice-president also said that amid the pandemic, specifically in 2020, when humankind knew about this terrible virus, the U.S. Government by ten stepped up the criminal blockade against the South American nation.
«Venezuela has not only suffered from the consequences of the pandemic as it is an unprecedented global economic crisis, it has also suffered from the blockade of our financial resources amid this economic crisis, » she said.
Venezuela’s resources seized in International Financial System
In her statement, Vice-president Delcy Rodríguez added that USD 7 billion belonging to Venezuela have been seized and frozen in the International Financial System.
In this context, she called on Portugal’s representative and prime minister to place that money at the disposal of Venezuela through the United Nations System.
«I seize the opportunity again […] I called for reflection and for these resources, frozen in Portugal’s Novo Banco, to be placed at Venezuela’s disposal through the United Nations so that the country can access supplies and medicines to address the COVID-19 pandemic, » she insisted.
Finally, Rodríguez highlighted that the International Financial System has refused to let Venezuela access the Venezuelan people’s money through mechanisms offered by the United Nations.
She urged this Ibero-American Meeting to make good use of these deep reflections left by the pandemic. «We are suffering the consequences. Let’s seize this opportunity of crisis to completely eradicate inequalities, » stressed Rodríguez.