By Kimberly Ramkhalawan
July 11, 2023
In just under a few weeks, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has managed to circle the globe, and her latest stop being neighbouring Venezuela, and its visit to its President, Nicholas Maduro.
On May 26th, the Barbados PM played host to Venezuela’s Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez, as it seems custom as any prelim to greeting the western world’s socialist state leader. It also comes not too long after her visit to China, where she met with President Xi Jinping.
Prime Minister Mottley was accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kerrie Symmonds and Ambassador David Comissiong, with her delegation receiving a red carpet rolled out upon her arrival and the welcome led by President Nicolas Maduro.
Its said the meeting served as one aimed at strengthening relations between both nations in the hopes of getting increased cooperation in ‘productive areas’, this according to the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry.
Talks between both nations continued also earlier in June, when a high-level Barbadian delegation, headed by the Minister of Energy and Business, Lisa Cummins, and co-chaired by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Indar Weir, visited Venezuela to organize talks ahead of the official visit of the Prime Minister, where both nations also reviewed projects in the areas of oil and agriculture.
The meeting comes just mere days after CARICOM heads of government met in Trinidad and Tobago, and signaled a call before US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken to work on removing the sanctions placed on Venezuela for the region’s sake, something which Mottley has also led the call for during her meetings with US officials. Last year, a visit from Cuba’s President, Miguel Díaz-Canel in Barbados, saw Mottley also calling for embargos to be removed on the nation.
Here, she emphasized the courage of Caribbean countries in establishing diplomatic relations with these nations, a similar one to which CARICOM remains committed to in doing with Venezuela.
The Venezuelan leader took the opportunity to reciprocate similar sentiments, describing his state as a sister of the Caribbean under any circumstances, and thanked CARICOM for their solidarity with his nation during the recent meeting held. He added that many will find in the “emerging new world”, an increase in those working united and strong.
He also praised Mottley for her stand against the long existing Bretton Woods institutions created after World War II, and her call for the new international financial architecture.
Maduro meanwhile, also pledged his added support in strengthening Petrocaribe, which will redound in an increased energy security among Caribbean states.
As a result, it is said that bilateral cooperation agreements on issues such as air services, food sovereignty, scientific research, and energy security were signed.
Meanwhile, Mottley was also presented with an honour, with Maduro bestowing on her the First Class of the Venezuelan Liberators Order.
Her trip to the Latin American state, also saw her visit the National Pantheon, along with Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Yván Gil and the delegations of both countries, where they paid tribute before the tomb of the Liberator Simón Bolívar, with a floral offering.
Both Venezuela and Barbados have shared diplomatic relations for some 54 years now, with the latest meeting focused on expanding strategic cooperation between the two nations. However, it is viewed that since Prime Minister Mottley assumed her first term in 2018, there has been a reconciliation between Barbados and Venezuela. Traditionally it has been the position of Barbados, like wise many Caribbean states, to be diplomatically and politically astute, in the non-interference in the internal affairs of Venezuela.