There’s a new Venezuelan Ambassador in Belize and he says his leader, Hugo Chavez has told him to make his presence known locally. Typically, the Venezuelans have been low profile, but Omar Valdiviezo is hoping to change that. He hosted the media at a luncheon today and told us how Venezuela plans to improve relations with Belize.
Ambassador Omar Valdiviezo, Venezuela
“Our interest is to get closer to Belize like a brother country, thinking of the Latin American integration like the dream that our liberator Simon Bolivar had. There are many areas in which we can cooperate with the Belizean people in education, culture we will sign agreements to have exchanges and collaborate with the country of Belize in many areas and where Belize can collaborate with Venezuela we will also do that.
That thesis that we are the new imperium of Latin America is one that is handled by the superpowers of the world because we manage our politics where everyone is included to maintain relations with all countries in the world. Venezuela has a great energy potential we have the largest oil reserves in the world but we don’t go about boasting about this. We want to share this with other poorer countries in the world.”
Valdiviezo says that Chavez has instructed his embassies throughout the Caribbean to step up their presence. In Belize, they plan to do this physically with the construction of a cultural center and a library. Valdiviezo says he will also visit the poor in Belize’s agricultural sector. This weekend he goes to visit Valley of Peace.
