BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, June 28, 2018 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – The deep level of cooperation that exists between the Governments and people of St. Kitts and Nevis and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was further strengthened today, Thursday, June 28, when Prime Minister, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, met and held bilateral talks with Venezuela’s Foreign Affairs Minister, His Excellency Jorge Arreaza.
Prime Minister Harris, who was supported at the meeting by Cabinet Secretary, Mrs. Josephine Huggins, stated that Venezuela has long been a very good friend of the Caribbean region, and in particular a very good friend to St. Kitts and Nevis.
The prime minister noted that he has on several occasions visited Venezuela to further strengthen the bilateral and regional cooperation agenda as it relates to the matter of energy and other socio-economic programmes.
“For us in the Team Unity Administration, we would say that Venezuela has been a very special friend of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis, has shown sensitivity to the region at moments when the region needed a strong ally and at a period when energy prices all over the world were volatile and to the disadvantage of energy importing countries like many of us in the Caribbean. It was the distinguished leadership of President Chavez that intervened and provided through Petrocaribe and other arrangements specific interventions that have redounded to the benefit of our people within the region,” Dr. Harris stated.
Prime Minister Harris made mention of some of the areas in which the Federation has benefited as a result of its close ties with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, including the granting of funds that were used to pay former sugar workers following the closure in 2005 of the centuries old sugar industry in St. Kitts and Nevis.
“Several of the workers who were among the poorest of the poor did not receive any terminal benefits and in that regard we had approach your president and he quickly consented to provide resources for us to assist those needy people. He had also committed to assist us in our housing programme, modeling on the petrocasas of Venezuela, but of course adapted to suit our own particular situation and we are grateful [as] we are seeing the fulfillment of those commitments made.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Arreaza, in response, thanked the honourable prime minister for his continued support, as he noted that the relationship between St. Kitts and Nevis and Venezuela “has improved in many areas.”
The minister also used Thursday’s meeting to reassure Prime Minister Harris of his Government’s commitment to the energy arrangements that exist between Venezuela and several Caribbean nations, including St. Kitts and Nevis.
“The projects we have in the energy field are very important as well. The oil prices are rising as well and Petrocaribe has a role to play at the moment and always because as you said the prices are volatile, so we are here. We are improving the oil production in Venezuela and our brothers and sisters of the Caribbean can count on the Venezuelan resources in the terms that we have agreed,” Minister Arreaza said.
While in St. Kitts and Nevis, Foreign Affairs Minister Arreaza participated in the special groundbreaking ceremony of the new housing complex at Wellington Road in East Basseterre. That multimillion dollar housing project, once completed, will accommodate some 60 families in modern living spaces.
