The vice president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, in the National Assembly for discussion of the Budget Bill 2023. Photo: Twitter/@delcyrodriguezv.
On Wednesday, December 14, the vice president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, outlined the long history of attacks on the Venezuelan national economy at the special session of the National Assembly held for the first discussion of the Budget Bill for fiscal year 2023.
She highlighted that since 2014, 927 unilateral coercive measures have been imposed on Venezuela: “723 from the US, Europe and the West; 477 on individuals, 169 sanctions directed against public bodies and private companies, 69 national and foreign vessels sanctioned through the naval blockade to prevent trade, 58 aircrafts sanctioned, and 164 sanctions directed towards freezing assets and funds in several countries of the world.”
The vice president added that 17% of the sanctions are directed toward the economy and the financial sector, causing Venezuela to be excluded from the international financial system.
“In addition, 8% of the measures are directed against the private sector, 5% against the political sector, 5% against transportation and food,” Rodríguez explained.
President Maduro Calls for Campaign Against ‘Criminal Dollar’ as Commercial Transactions Overheat
She added that between 2015 and October of 2022, nearly 4 billion barrels of oil, worth $232 billion, were lost in production.
Freezing of resources
Rodríguez stated that an agreement has been reached to free Venezuela’s financial resources, frozen in institutions around the world.
“Every bank where there is a dollar has an order from the US Treasury not to allow the transfer of the money of Venezuelans,” she said, referring to the freezing of Venezuelan accounts abroad. “There has been excessive compliance with the sanctions.”
However, the plan to destroy Venezuela by stripping it of its resources has failed, she emphasized.
Achievements of the Revolution
Vice President Rodríguez discussed some of the achievements of the Venezuelan government during 2022, such as the implementation of the 1×10 Good Government Program. The achievements include:
- The initiation of a people-led process of transformation in the government model.
- The Ven App, used by Venezuelan citizens to communicate directly with the government, reached one million reports.
- The reestablishment of diplomatic, economic, and commercial relations with Colombia.
- Significant progress in combating drug trafficking groups in border areas.
- The recovery of hard-hit sectors, such as the Central University of Venezuela, a Venezuelan national heritage.
- Four successive quarters with double-digit economic growth.
She predicted that the Venezuelan economy will continue to experience double digit growth in 2023.
“We have joined our efforts—both the public sector and the private sector,” she added. “The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates single digit growth for Venezuela in 2023. I assert that the growth will be in the double digits, and the IMF will have to correct its forecast.”
(Últimas Noticias) by Narkys Blanco
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/KZ
