Venezuelan Foreign Minister Meets with Dominican Secretary of State

The Foreign Minister from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro Moros, held an intense work session with Dominican Secretary of State Miguel Mejía to analyze the integration projects and agreements between the two countries.

…During the two-hour meeting in the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, the two diplomats discussed the need to promote joint work projects on a higher technical and political level…

During the two-hour meeting in the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, the two diplomats discussed the need to promote joint work projects on a higher technical and political level in order for all involved to achieve the goals that have been proposed for the next meeting to take place between the respective presidents of the two countries, Dominican Leonel Fernández and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, according to a report from the Presidential Office of Information, Press and Publicity.

The meeting of the presidents will take place in August when Dominican President Fernández will be inaugurated for his third term as president on August 16th, the date that commemorates the Restoration of the Dominican Republic.

Dominican Secretary of State, Miguel Mejía, called the meeting extremely positive. He said they analyzed the Petro-Caribbean agreements and discussed the most important issues which involve the fuel, food and petrochemical projects and cooperation between the two countries. He added that both countries are jointly working to provide material assistance to the Haitian people.

This humanitarian initiative will be carried out through the government of the Dominican Republic, taking into account that Haiti and the DR share a common land border. It was agreed upon between the two governments that the DR will distribute the Venezuelan aid to the sectors of the country most in need.  

Mejía also announced that talks with his Venezuelan counterpart involved the possibility of building a gasoline pipeline that would unite the DR with Haiti. He stressed that such initiatives are a form of solidarity and encouragement of sovereignty that Venezuela regularly demonstrates toward poor countries or countries in difficult economic situations

He added that they also discussed the possibility of building a natural gas liquation plant in Venezuela under Dominican ownership where the raw material could be transformed from its gaseous state to a liquid form and then exported to the DR and other countries in the region.

At the same time, Mejía said that according to agreements that came out of the 5th Extraordinary Petro-Caribbean Summit of Heads of State and Government that took place in Maracaibo on July 12 and 13, Venezuelan support will lower operating costs and allow for a more efficient job to be done on this project.

He also announced that some 200 Petro-Houses are being donated by the Venezuelan government. These make up the first of an expected 700 to be located in the municipality of Bonao, in the province of Monseñor Noel. This donation is part of a promise made by President Chavez to send humanitarian aid following Tropical Storm Olga that ripped through the DR in 2007

The Dominican Secretary of State also held meetings with directors of the Venezuelan Economic and Social Development Bank (BANDES) to activate a series of social projects between the two countries.

The diplomats also talked about the possibility of the DR sending Venezuela, as partial payment for its oil shipments, between 20,000 and 25,000 tons of Urea and the same from the Bauxite mines from Las Mercedes, in the province of Pedernales which produces 15 million tons at an estimated value of $500 million dollars.

Mejía stressed that President Leonel Fernández recognizes Venezuela´s generous solidarity represented by President Hugo Chávez who has extended a helping hand to many Caribbean countries.

Development of Social Projects

The Dominican Secretary of State also held meetings with directors of the Venezuelan Economic and Social Development Bank (BANDES) to activate a series of social projects between the two countries. Some of the projects include building aqueducts and bridges, sports fields, enlarging electrical service and building schools and junior highs.

He affirmed plans to build a factory that produces fluorescent bulbs, power transformers, electronic material and electronic networks as well as a transport bus assembly plant.

In the end, the Dominican diplomat Miguel Mejía expressed his gratitude to the Venezuelan people and President Chávez for the creation of Petro-Caribbean in which Caribbean and Central American countries actively participate and which has become an important economic instrument to achieve regional unity and to channel reciprocal aid among the region´s countries.