At a massive rally in front of Venezuela’s national oil company PDVSA headquarters in La Campiña, Caracas, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez condemned the ongoing US aggressions against the country.
In her speech on Friday, December 19, Rodríguez, who is also the minister of hydrocarbons, emphasized that Venezuela has a firm stance of dignity and resistance. She underscored that the country has no outstanding debts with the Trump administration. Rather, Washington owes the Venezuelan people compensation for stealing Venezuelan state assets.
In this regard, she referred to the looting of the CITGO Refineries. Coupled with the unlawful seizure of CITGO’s dividends accumulated since 2019, the theft represents a loss of assets exceeding $35 billion. These resources were seized through mechanisms of “economic piracy” that undermine the economic stability of Venezuelan citizens.
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Rodríguez emphasized that Venezuela’s energy resources will not be subject to negotiation under external threats or foreign extortion schemes. She explained that any international buyer interested in acquiring a molecule of gas or a barrel of oil must do so in accordance with legal protocols and pay the corresponding prices. On this premise, she ruled out any possibility of giving in to Washington’s pressure, calling its encirclement strategy an “absolute historic mistake.”
In a call for international justice, the vice president demanded a public apology from the United States and appropriate reparations for the effects of the economic blockade. She also emphasized that Venezuela not only defends its oil but also its right to self-determination and regional peace. According to Rodríguez, the petrochemical and energy industry constitutes a sacred heritage supported by a conscious and mobilized working class throughout the country.
Thus, Rodríguez highlighted the strength of the Venezuelan people in overcoming the US unilateral coercive measures that have tried so hard to suffocate the national economy. She stated that national unity is the primary shield against attempts to seize the energy resources that have historically belonged to the nation.
In her words, it is this fighting spirit that helps the country to combat the US attempts to seize Venezuela’s resources.
The vice president reaffirmed the unconditional commitment of oil and gas sector workers to President Nicolás Maduro’s administration. At the conclusion of her remarks, she stated that the country will continue on the path of economic recovery and will not surrender to imperialist blackmail.
She concluded by stating that Venezuela will remain free from tutelage, where sovereignty over its natural resources should be respected by any foreign government wishing to establish trade relations.
(Telesur)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/SF
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