The Prime Minister has expressed her thanks to the U.S. Secretary of State.. for his efforts in ensuring that the new OFAC licence from the U.S was approved.
That licence now paves the way.. for the new UNC-led government to seek a final deal for the supply of natural gas from Venezuela's Dragon deal.
00:00Prime Minister Kamala Pasad-Besessa says of the granting by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Assets Control of a new license regarding Trinidad and Tobago's effort to secure the supply of natural gas from Venezuela's dragon field that, quote, the people can rest assured that we will continue to work tirelessly to secure further success, end quote.
00:22In a statement on Friday, Prime Minister Pasad-Besessa reiterated her previous comments that the people of Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, and Venezuela all stand to benefit from what the Prime Minister called the Dragon Gas Agreement.
00:36The Prime Minister further said this represents a win for regional partnership, energy security, and economic growth.
00:43Prime Minister Pasad-Besessa noted that the granting of the OFAC license is the result of immense hard work and represents a fresh starting point in the ongoing negotiations, which followed her recent meeting with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, where they engaged in productive discussions on deepening cooperation and advancing mutual interests.
01:08Trinidad and Tobago had received an OFAC license from the U.S. that allowed for progress for the Dragon Gas Project during the former PNM administration, while Joe Biden was the U.S. president.
01:20That license was revoked by the U.S. government, being led by President Donald Trump shortly before the 2025 general election in Trinidad and Tobago, which the UNC and its coalition of interests won.
01:31The PNM, now in opposition, has said that while it led the government, it had secured a 30-year license from the government of Venezuela led by Nicolás Maduro.
01:42The State Department issued a statement following the bilateral meeting between Secretary Rubio and the Prime Minister Pasad-Besessa on September 30th, which said,
01:51On Thursday, Attorney General John Jeremy announced that the new license from the U.S. is a three-tiered approach.
02:17In this first approach, we go to April of 2026, with certain benchmarks in place, with conditions that ensure U.S. companies will be among those who will benefit from the Dragon Gas.
02:30In her statement on Friday, Prime Minister Pasad-Besessa expressed,
02:34The Prime Minister added that this is yet another victory for Trinidad and Tobago, one that reflects the government's dedication, diplomacy, and determination.
02:55The Prime Minister then made reference to what she described as a meeting she held on Thursday with high-level representatives from BP, Proman, and Woodside to discuss matters of mutual interest and explore new avenues for collaboration.
03:10Prime Minister Pasad-Besessa said of that meeting that the discussions reaffirmed the critical role of the energy sector as the backbone of Trinidad and Tobago's economy and a key driver of national revenue and development.
Be the first to comment