00:00Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers was accompanied by Permanent Secretary and Head of the Foreign Service Randall Karim
00:09and Acting Foreign Service Officer and Head of the Americas Division Claire de Bourgh.
00:14The talks focused on enhanced trade and economic cooperation, agriculture and fisheries, national security and energy security.
00:23The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce hopes the discussions establish a clear and practical pathway
00:32for progressing the Dragon Field, Doloran Manatee Resource and the Mannequin Coquina Cross-Border Field
00:38together with other opportunities involving shared and adjacent natural gas resources.
00:45The chamber says which collectively could play an important role in securing TNT's future gas supply.
00:52It says progress on the projects could also support the competitiveness of the country's LNG and petrochemical industries
01:00while generating foreign exchange and creating opportunities for local businesses.
01:06The Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago stated, quote,
01:10this is a very good first step in enhancing the diplomatic relations between both countries.
01:16A functioning diplomatic channel is exactly what's needed to move forward on the cross-border energy projects
01:23this sector has been watching closely, end quote.
01:26The Energy Chamber says the next step should be technical and commercial discussions on supply, timelines and terms.
01:35The Chief Executive Officer of the TNT Manufacturers Association, Dr. Ramesh Ramdin, said, quote,
01:42quote, Venezuela is a very large market with over 34 million people
01:47and thus presents an ideal opportunity for locally produced goods and services, end quote.
01:54He says the association is also interested in using Venezuela as a source of inputs for local manufacturing.
02:00The TTMA says it intends to take a trade mission to Venezuela in 2027.
02:06Rishana Pagu, TV6 News.
