00:00TV6 News recalled that the recent progress made on the Dragon gas deal
00:04occurred during the Dr. Keith Rowley led administration, the Nicolas Maduro
00:09administration in Venezuela and the outgoing administration in the United
00:13States led by President Joe Biden who represents the Democratic Party. The
00:18recent US election was won by former President Donald Trump and his
00:22Republican Party. Are you concerned that the progress with the Democratic
00:27leadership presently outgoing could be mitigated or anyway affected by the
00:32incoming Republican? It might very well be but if you take that argument a
00:37little backwards you will note that there has not really been any great
00:43window of difference between the Democratic Party in government and the
00:50Republican Party as ranking members when the Venezuela issue started. Prime
00:56Minister Rowley referred to Mr. Trump's first term in office as the US
01:00President. President Trump had expanded on sanctions placed there by whom? A
01:09Democratic government and Mr. Young and I have been in many rooms where we know
01:15this. We have not been dealing with this matter of Trinidad and Tobago's future
01:19and its relationship with Venezuela as a matter of the United States whoever is
01:24in office there. We've been holding the United States government to acknowledge
01:31as a government the people of Trinidad and Tobago. The Prime Minister said his
01:36administration has not only met with Democrats in office. And therefore if the
01:42government changes our argument is still the same to the United States government
01:47that you as a government recognize our position and the effects on our position
01:56regardless of who is in Washington. We might have more access to some people
02:00and others but we worked alongside Republicans. In fact when the delegation
02:05came here the last time under Secretary Blinken in that delegation was at least
02:13one Republican. Dr. Rowley made reference to some of the talks he and his
02:18delegation held in Washington DC. As a producer of fertilizer ammonia and we
02:27were able to get an understanding more easily from some Republicans who are
02:33from agricultural states and who easily and very quickly understood our position
02:40and the role that we could play than getting it from a Democrat from New York
02:45from from New Jersey who was as a matter of fact the most resilient opposition to
02:51our argument. And the Prime Minister gave an update on work regarding the
02:56dragon gas deal. As a result of that work over those months as I speak to you now
03:02there are two vessels working over the dragon field. I feel proud about that.
03:12Prime Minister Rowley said he is to travel to Barbados early next week to
03:16join other CARICOM heads of government in their meeting with a delegation from
03:21the US government. Jule Brown TV6 News
Comments