Briefing

Arreaza: “If The U.S. Wants To Do Business With Venezuela, Welcome”

From Moscow, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza exhorted Biden to rectify his sanctions policy on chavismo to establish a relationship of mutual respect. According to Arreaza, it’s been hard to pay for COVAX because of the sanctions. Arreaza said that asking COVAX for the money back could be an option, and then buying the vaccine from Russia, China or Cuba.

Naky Soto
  • From Moscow, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza exhorted Biden to rectify his sanctions policy on chavismo to establish a relationship of mutual respect: “If the U.S. wants to do business with Venezuela, welcome” but he emphasized later that they’d have to give companies like CITGO and Monómeros back. “We haven’t been able to buy enough vaccines,” he said and he thanked Russia for the supply (and reiterated that it’s a ten-million dose agreement) and thanked China, even though the amount hasn’t been established. 
    • According to Arreaza, it’s been hard to pay for COVAX because of the sanctions. He thinks it’s “curious” that they managed to pay 111 million dollars but that “Swiss bank UBS blocked the last payment.” 
    • Arreaza said that asking COVAX for the money back could be an option, and then buying the vaccine from Russia, China or Cuba. 

  • Jorge Arreaza said that an EU observation mission for the election would be welcome:“We’ve always been open to observation in electoral processes,” he said, despite the fact that Venezuela hasn’t had international observers since 2006. 
    • Arreaza said that the relation between Russia and Venezuela has progressed despite the restrictions and the pandemic, and thanked Russia for the “unconditional support”. 
    • Lavrov said that Russia considers Venezuela “a trusted partner in Latin America, in the world, in general”. 
  • Global cases of COVID-19 have dropped for eight weeks in a row, but figures are still high: 2.5 million cases and 64,000 deaths in the last week, reported the WHO on Tuesday. 
  • The Delegate Commission approved an agreement requesting countries in the region to include Venezuelan migrants in their vaccination plans. 
  • Médicos Unidos reported 20 new deaths in the sector, for a total of 670 deaths, while the regime only admitted to 2,973 total deaths. 58 patients have died in June. 
  • The regime managed to make part of COVAX payments with the support of private Venezuelan banks, which used foreign currency obtained in transactions made with international credit and debit cards in Venezuela to get around the sanctions. The lack of transparency is another crime. 
  • The Delegate Commission approved an agreement on unfinished construction works in 13 states in the country, a product of corruption. The president of the Comptrollership Commission Macario González reported that the patrimonial damage is around 35 billion dollars. 
  • 104 former officials of Hugo Chávez’s government published a manifesto where they put distance between them and Maduro’s regime. They said they’re forming a new political movement and that they’ll be promoting activating a recall referendum in January 2022. 
  • Citgo Aruba Holding, a subsidiary of PDV Holding headquartered in Delaware, liquidated four of its subsidiaries in Aruba. 
  • Heavy rains have caused the flood of the Orinoco River in Amazonas. Three days ago, it flooded Yanomami communities and affected at least 74 families. 
  • Pensioners demanded the state a fair pension and access to the vaccine. They’ve sent letters to state institutions but haven’t received any response. “Those who don’t have family abroad are screwed,” said Carmen Idrogo, a pensioner of the Metro de Caracas.
  • The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) presented a report on the Venezuelan judicial branch, where they concluded that the TSJ is at the service of the Executive Branch. 
    • They assure that 85% of judges are provisional, which makes them vulnerable to political pressure and that most of them are PSUV members. 
  • The vice president of the ICJ Carlos Ayala Corado, said that Venezuela lacks a justice system and that they don’t trust the judicial revolution announced by Maduro. 
  • The border between Venezuela, Aruba, Bonaire y Curacao could reopen in the next few days. It’s been closed for the last two years because of the diplomatic crisis unleashed by the Netherlands recognizing the caretaker government. 
  • CNE president Pedro Calzadilla invited Russia to be an observer of the elections in November. 
  • Venezuela lacks vaccines, but the regime spends money on propaganda. The country has to put up with the overwhelming propaganda on their “Bicentennial congress for people of the world”, an exercise to gather leftists from all over the world, paid with public funds. 

Naky Soto

Naky gets called Naibet at home and at the bank. She coordinates training programs for an NGO. She collects moments and turns them into words. She has more stories than freckles.

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