28.07.09 - 11:24 -
Moratinos and Maduro. / EFE
The foreign ministers of Spain and Venezuela expressed on Monday the wish of their respective governments to strengthen ties between the two countries, particularly in the economic sphere.
In speeches at the inauguration of a Spanish-Venezuelan business forum at a hotel in Caracas, Spain's Miguel Ángel Moratinos expressed the Spanish government's wish to "bolster" their bilateral relations, while Nicolás Maduro said he was "very optimistic" about developing new "joint projects."
The Venezuelan foreign minister underscored the "special impetus" that in his opinion would result from the business forum that opened on Monday with the participation of Spanish companies like Iberdrola and Repsol, on the first day of Moratinos' visit to Venezuela.
The Spanish minister said in his address that Spain and its companies believe in "the present and future Venezuela" and spoke of his wish to maintain a "profound, sincere and respectful relationship" with the Hugo Chávez government.
Maduro also stressed his country's willingness to make progress in the relationship on the basis of "permanent dialogue, transparency, mutual understanding and respect."
Also speaking at the forum's inauguration was Venezuelan Finance Minister Ali Rodríguez, who mentioned the "historical relationship" between the two countries and said that the current visit will also allow "an exchange of opinions on the enormous (international economic) crisis."
Rodríguez said that "thanks to preventive policies," Venezuela has had "sufficient resources" to deal with "the basis of the crisis," but acknowledged how hard Venezuela has been hit by the drop in oil prices, the Andean nation's chief export.
The minister recalled that the Chávez government had to trim its budget, which he attributed to the shortage of dollars for foreign trade that has affected the country and which, he said, "worries some Spanish businessmen."
Rodríguez said that the crisis here is being dealt with and that "by the end of the year the problem will basically be solved," while urging Spanish companies to have "no fear" of investing in the country.
At a breakfast before the forum opened, attended by Moratinos and the Spanish businessmen, some of them mentioned the difficulties they currently have in repatriating profits due to Caracas' exchange controls, and the delays in payments because of the Venezuelan government's apparent lack of liquidity, according to sources who were at the meeting.
