PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Jul 17, CMC -Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who has been declared “persona non grata” by the Venezuelan National Assembly in October last year, says she is “deeply touched” to have receive a letter from Acting President Delcy Rodríguez.
In a statement posted on her social media page X, Persad-Bissessar, whom Caracas had accused of supporting United States military aggression against the Bolivarian Republic, said that the letter expressed “the gratitude of the Government and people of Venezuela for Trinidad and Tobago’s support following the devastating earthquakes of June 24.
“In my response, I reaffirmed our unwavering commitment to stand with the people of Venezuela during this difficult time. To date, more than 230 tonnes of humanitarian supplies have arrived in La Guaira, we continue to facilitate the delivery of vaccines, and we have approved overflight requests to support international relief efforts”.
Persad-Bissessar said that Venezuela, as “our closest neighbour…holds a special place in our region and in our hearts.
“Trinidad and Tobago will always stand ready to assist the people of Venezuela in times of need. Our shared geography, history and friendship call upon us to act with compassion, solidarity and practical,” she wrote, releasing the copies of the correspondence between the two leaders.
“Madam President, I wish to assure you that the Government of Trinidad and Tobago remains deeply committed to working closely with you and your Government to ensure that Venezuela emerges from this tragedy stronger than ever, and that the bilateral relationship between our two countries continues to grow and prosper”.
In her July 8 letter, Rodriquez wrote that the demonstrations of support “have been a beacon of hope in times of sorrow and reaffirm that the path between nations is solidarity.
“We trust that the resilience of the Venezuelan people, together with the encouraging voices of the international community, will allow us to move forward with renewed strength toward the recovery and well-being of every affected family,” Rodriquez wrote.
Meanwhile, nearly 5,000 people are known to have died in the two earthquakes that devastated Venezuela on June 24, with the United Nations estimating that as many as 50,000 people may still be missing and many feared buried under rubble.
The number of confirmed deaths is now higher at 4,930, lawmaker Jorge Rodriguez announced on Thursday.
Venezuela has faced tight United States sanctions since 2015, which experts say is making the government’s job even harder..
Earlier this week, a group of 14 Democratic lawmakers in the US sent a letter urging the White House to ease economic sanctions on Venezuela to aid recovery efforts, noting that the sanctions are “severely hampering urgent relief efforts” and have “severely undermined the country’s response and reconstruction efforts”.
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