A boat with workers is seen at an oil field on Venezuela's western Maracaibo lake, on November 5, 2007. Photo: Isaac Urrutia/Reuters.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—Venezuelan Oil Minister Delcy RodrĂguez has made a statement condemning a number of “lies” that have been told against Venezuela by the UK imperial media corporation Reuters.
In a message published via social media this Tuesday, April 1, RodrĂguez accused the UK-based agency of joining a smear campaign against the country, in response to a Reuters report that spread false information about Venezuela’s oil industry. “The journalist promoting this fallacy—who is, incidentally, on the payroll of the fugitive Rafael RamĂrez—is distorting the facts,” RodrĂguez explained.
The Vice President, who also serves as Oil Minister, noted that Venezuela’s oil exports saw an 8.78% growth in March. “Venezuela demands a correction and an end to the lies targeting its energy industry,” she asserted. “Nothing and no one will derail us from our path to recovery!”
RodrĂguez further emphasized that Venezuela is steadily advancing its plan for “absolute productive independence,” as outlined by President Nicolás Maduro. “By the end of March and ahead of April, oil production in Venezuela has normalized and aligns with planned output increases across multiple fields,” she explained.
The minister also noted that the Venezuelan publicly-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) continues to operate wells through domestic efforts, adding that international companies working in Venezuela without foreign government licenses “are functioning at full capacity.”
Since mid-February, the president of the US empire, Donald Trump, has relaunched the maximum-pressure strategy against Venezuela in a renewed attempt to oust President Nicolás Maduro and dismantle the Bolivarian Revolution. This escalation began with the revocation of OFAC License 41, which had granted Chevron authorization to operate in Venezuela, followed by the imposition of 25% tariffs on countries purchasing Venezuelan oil or gas. Recently, this has culminated in the decision to revoke operating permits for five other oil corporations working under such conditions in Venezuela.
Venezuelan authorities have announced that an “absolute productive independence” plan will mitigate the impact of these decisions on the economy. However, many analysts agree that, even in the best-case scenario, foreign currency revenue could decline by at least 20%, with significant implications for the foreign exchange market, and, consequently, inflation.
Washington Revokes Permits for 5 International Oil Corporations Operating in Venezuela
Communication Minister condemns psychological warfare
Venezuelan Minister of Communication and Information Freddy Ñáñez also addressed the Reuters report, accusing the agency of waging “psychological warfare” by spreading false narratives.
“Reuters is lying about Venezuela yet again. Why? It’s simple: economic warfare relies on psychological warfare to succeed,” Ñáñez wrote on social media regarding the disputed article.
Despite these challenges, he reiterated that the Venezuelan government is “successfully countering all forms of aggression outlined in imperial playbooks.”
“This won’t be the first or last time we dismantle Reuters’ propaganda with the power of truth,” Ñáñez affirmed.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/AU
