The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, held a bilateral meeting with the secretary-general of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, at the organization’s headquarters in New York, last Monday (21). The meeting took place during the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
The presence of the Venezuelan delegation at the UN headquarters marks a significant step in the strategy of the so-called “Bolivarian Peace Diplomacy”. This is the first visit by a high-ranking official from the country to the multilateral space since 2018, in a direct effort to rebuild bridges and overcome the years of diplomatic isolation and sanctions promoted by the United States government.
“This international agenda consolidates the Bolivarian Peace Diplomacy roadmap, which advances the evaluation of response and recovery plans through specialized methodologies for the reconstruction of resilient infrastructure. Furthermore, Venezuela’s participation on the global stage reaffirms the country’s position in the multilateral debate, defending balanced productive growth, environmental preservation and peace”, published the Miraflores press office.
The official delegation included the participation of Chancellor Félix Plasencia, the vice-president of Economy, Calixto Ortega, the first vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, Oliver Blanco, and the holder of the Hydrocarbons portfolio, Paula Henao.
According to the Venezuelan government, the country’s international operations occur at a time of economic recovery. Estimates from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) point to a 7.4% growth in the Venezuelan Gross Domestic Product (GDP), driven by an expansion of more than 6.9% in the non-oil sector.
Furthermore, according to Caracas, cooperation with the United Nations system covers technical support for the reconstruction of resilient infrastructure after recent natural contingencies in the national territory.
Economic agenda
During her stay in New York, the head of the Venezuelan government fulfilled an extensive schedule of commitments with multilateral organizations. In a meeting with the president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Ilan Goldfajn, cooperation and financing mechanisms aimed at the country’s productive and social development were evaluated.
According to the Venezuelan Presidency’s press office, the intention of the dialogue was to review the work agenda and consolidate strategic alliances based on stability and growth.
“It is important to highlight that this strategic meeting reaffirms the policy of diplomacy and multilateralism promoted by the Venezuelan government in international scenarios, aimed at financing productive growth and consolidating global strategic alliances”, published the government.
The economic agenda continued in the meeting with the president of the World Bank Group, Ajay Banga. According to Miraflores, the meeting sought to explore paths of technical and financial cooperation in line with the institution’s new guidelines for developing nations.
As reported by the Venezuelan government, both parties highlighted the importance of multilateral collaboration to mitigate global economic risks and considered the conversation a positive step towards reestablishing constructive working relations.
“At the end of the meeting, both President Rodríguez and Ajay Banga considered this bilateral meeting as a positive step towards the re-establishment of a prosperous and constructive working relationship”, published the Presidency.
Delcy Rodríguez also met with the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva. According to the Venezuelan government, the meeting made it possible to take stock of the diversification of the productive system and inflation control, using “diplomacy to overcome past differences”.
The official trip also includes a planned meeting with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, which would represent the first meeting between heads of government from both countries in more than 11 years, and after the US military aggression against Venezuela on January 3 of this year, which resulted in more than a hundred deaths and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and the First Lady and Deputy Cilia Flores.
The Venezuelan president’s speech at the UN General Assembly plenary is scheduled for Wednesday (23).
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
