YOUNG SAYS NO DRAGON GAS WITHOUT VENEZUELA

CCNTV6

An Opposition MP says the Government cannot avoid having direct talks with the Government of Venezuela where the Dragon Gas deal is concerned.  This follows the declaration by the US of its support for the deal following a bilateral meeting between the Prime Minister and the US Secretary of State in Washington yesterday.  Juhel Browne reports.

Transcript

00:00The same UNC were grilling us in the PNM and asking how many times I traveled to Venezuela

00:07and the same Munilal making a lot of noise and fanfare about me going there 13 times.

00:12Well, let us see what they do now.

00:14Opposition MP and former Prime Minister Stuart Young speaking during the opposition's media conference on Wednesday

00:20as he made reference to Energy Minister Dr. Rudal Munilal's declaration of the revival of the deal

00:25for the supply of natural gas from Venezuela's jargon field to Trinidad and Tobago.

00:30This followed a bilateral meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio

00:35and Prime Minister Kamlo Passat-Besessa in Washington on Tuesday.

00:39And if Munilal doesn't know it, the Vice President of Venezuela is also the Minister of Energy in Venezuela now

00:48and the person in charge of these resources and her name is Delcy Rodriguez.

00:55Following the bilateral meeting between Secretary Rubio and Prime Minister Passat-Besessa on Tuesday,

01:01the U.S. State Department said that, quote,

01:03the Secretary acknowledged the importance of energy security to Trinidad and Tobago's economic prosperity and regional stability.

01:11He outlined U.S. support for the government's drag and gas proposal

01:14and steps to ensure it will not provide significant benefit to the Maduro regime, end quote.

01:21And smiling at the irony of what we're dealing with here today.

01:28Because to take your minds immediately back to the President's House,

01:32just a few months ago, after the swearing-in of a cabinet,

01:36and none other than the Honorable Prime Minister announcing to the world at large,

01:42Dragan was dead with glee.

01:43Dragan is dead and that they would pursue gas in Grenada, Guyana and Suriname.

01:50And that is where they would be.

01:52We find ourselves right back here today.

01:55M.P. Young said the Dragan gas field is completely within the maritime borders of Venezuela.

02:00The Dragan gas field is completely owned by the people of Venezuela.

02:07And it is the PNM government that negotiated through very difficult and trying times

02:13and managed in December 2023, after many years,

02:18to obtain a 30-year exploration, production and export of gas license

02:24from the Dragan field to Trinidad and Tobago waters.

02:28Shortly before the 2025 general election on April 8th,

02:32the then-Prime Minister Young said that the Office of Foreign Assets Control

02:36had revoked OFAC licenses approved by the previous administration in the U.S.

02:42led by former President Joe Biden.

02:44The licenses were revoked under the U.S. administration being led by President Donald Trump.

02:50Shortly after, then-Prime Minister Young met with Secretary Rubio in Jamaica on March 26th.

02:56M.P. Young referred to a phone call on April 18th.

03:00Secretary of State Rubio had a conversation with me as Prime Minister later on in April

03:06where he made it abundantly clear.

03:09And he put out a release, and you should go back to the same release he put out,

03:13saying that he will work with us on our energy security and our energy deals.

03:17And in the world of diplomacy and diplomatic language, that is what we were talking about.

03:22On September 30th, the government announced that Prime Minister Passat-Busasa secured

03:27the U.S. Secretary of State's support for the development of Trinidad and Tobago's

03:32hydrocarbon cross-border resources.

03:34You now have to go through applying to OFAC and waiting on the terms of the license from OFAC.

03:41And it is only then you will know what is the landscape and playing field

03:44that you can now go to Venezuela and attempt to negotiate.

03:47MP Young said, quote, anything that will progress Trinidad and Tobago in the right direction

03:52is something that the PNM will obviously be happy about and encourage, end quote.

03:58Jewel Brown, TV6 News.

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