Manuel Quevedo: Venezuela will promote unity from OPEC to achieve fair prices

The Minister for Petroleum, Manuel Quevedo, said on Monday that Venezuela will take the voice of unity to achieve fair prices, allow investments and a greater flow of crude oil to consumer countries, upon assuming the presidency of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), in 2019.

Quevedo, who offered details of the meeting of OPEC+ and non-OPEC countries, which ended this weekend, in Vienna, Austria, took the opportunity to congratulate the work team that, on the instructions of President Nicolás Maduro, represented Venezuela in the meeting.

He highlighted the commitment of the allied countries to achieve a reduction agreement of 1.2 million barrels per day distributed as follows: OPEC countries will adjust their production to 800 million barrels of oil per day (bpd) and non-OPEC to 400 million bpd.

In that sense, he stressed that it is a historic achievement: «Venezuela, as always, modestly making its contributions for the social and economic development of the peoples … energy is a central issue and this is how it should be seen», he said.

«Energy has to be seen for the development of the peoples, not for speculation, it is for the protection of the peoples economically and socially», said Minister Quevedo.

Likewise, he recalled that two years ago was signed the Declaration of Cooperation for the Voluntary Adjustment of Crude Production between OPEC and Non-OPEC Countries, signed by 24 countries, promoted by the Venezuelan Head of State, Nicolás Maduro:

«2016 was a breakthrough in the global oil market: OPEC and Non-OPEC countries became a single team with the aim of stabilizing the oil market», said Manuel Quevedo.