In a firm statement from the meeting for the Public Consultation meeting on the Partial Reform of the Organic Law on Hydrocarbons, the Acting President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez Gómez, categorically rejected the recent statements by the United States Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, which she qualified as “inappropriate and offensive.”
Before authorities of the energy field, representatives of the Legislative Branch, and both national and foreign economic actors, the Acting President emphasized the political sovereignty of the Nation: “The people of Venezuela do not accept directives from any external factor. The people of Venezuela has an Executive Branch, and this administration is accountable to the People’s will. It is the reciprocity in that bond between the Venezuelan citizenship, its authorities, and its institutions.”
She asserted that the Venezuelan State has the disposition of maintaining diplomatic ties, provided they are based on mutual recognition.
“We have no fear, nor are we intimidated by establishing respectful relations with the United States, but these must be marked by decorum, by the adherence to international law, to the fundamental human treatment in interpersonal relations, and to honoring the dignity and historical trajectory of Venezuela; that is what we Venezuelan men and women are willing to do,” stated Rodríguez.
She also expressed her satisfaction for representing the nation amidst the current political climate, besides reiterating that her only loyalty is to the popular mandate: “We have no other external entity to obey.”
She also alluded to the impositions she has faced since her appointment, by indicating that she conserves her unwavering resolve in the face of coercion: “And regarding the personal warnings I receive, I want you to know that I was fully aware of them when I took the oath as Acting President and assumed my duties.”
Finally, the Acting President acknowledged the commitment and work of all sectors present in the consultation phase, by highlighting the importance of advancing with determination in the reform of the law for the strategic growth of the Republic.
