Grenada's Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell (left) shaking hands with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolás Maduro (right), at Miraflores Palace, Caracas, on April 29, 2025. Photo: Presidential Press.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has announced a 100% waiver of tariffs on imports from Grenada, and stated that starting in June, one ship and one aircraft will begin operating to boost intraregional trade under a Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of the Americas (ALBA-TCP) project, thereby strengthening trade and economic cooperation.
This Tuesday, April 29, President Maduro signed a roadmap of economic complementarity, equality, trust, respect, and mutual benefit with Grenada to strengthen the ties of cooperation between the two nations, at the end of the Prime Minister of Grenada, Dickon Mitchell’s official visit to Caracas.
During the ceremony hosted at Miraflores Palace, Mitchell highlighted the visit’s role in reinforcing the longstanding ties between the two nations, dating back to 1977, while Maduro emphasized the urgency of advancing Caribbean energy security through Petrocaribe’s revival.
“We’ve witnessed Petrocaribe’s new phase and the Caribbean’s roadmap to definitive energy security,” President Maduro stated, adding that “innovative proposals have emerged to achieve this goal and sustain its viability for years to come.”
The head of state acknowledged Petrocaribe’s struggles, claiming that the US empire’s “crippling sanctions and unilateral coercive measures disrupted its progress.” Undeterred, he continued in an optimistic tone: “We are transcending that chapter, and must now leverage all available tools to fortify energy security across the Caribbean.”
The president further called for bolstering regional trade and revitalizing the ALBA-TCP Bank, noting its “strategic focus on Grenada” through a “modest yet impactful investment portfolio designed for priority development sectors.”
On tourism, President Maduro lauded Grenada’s “exemplary model” and discussed collaborative tourism strategies, noting Venezuela’s efforts to “integrate its tourism growth with Grenada and the broader Caribbean.”
These remarks reaffirmed President Maduro’s dedication to fostering regional collaboration and sustainable development, establishing a framework for a more cooperative future between the two nations.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/AU
