Venezuela and Palestine Sign New Round of Agreements
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signed a series of agreements with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki during an official meeting in Miraflores on Wednesday.
Caracas, May 21, 2015 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signed a series of agreements with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki during an official meeting in Miraflores on Wednesday.
“I say to Palestine that they will forever count on all of the solidarity of the people of the liberators, the people of Venezuela,” declared the socialist leader, who went on to praise the ethical example of the Palestinian struggle.
“The project of the Palestinian people does not exclude anyone, it doesn’t feel superior to anyone, it doesn’t make concentration camps again for anyone, [but] is about living and coexisting in peace.”
One of the new agreements signed between the two nations promotes the creation of a bi-national company dedicated to the export, production, and retail of Palestinian-Venezuelan products in the agricultural and pharmaceutical sectors, as well as the creation of of ecological farms.
Other agreements will reportedly deepen joint investment in agro-industrial production as well as expand cooperation in the areas of education and healthcare.
For his part, al-Maliki welcomed the agreements as further steps towards strengthening the bonds between the two peoples.
“We are marking a very important path in the bilateral relations between Venezuela and Palestine, a relation based not only on political support between both countries, but on exchange of the Revolution.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the Palestinian foreign minister met with Caracas mayor Jorge Rodriguez, with whom he signed an agreement designating the most populous Caracas municipality of el Libertador the sister city of Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem.
The move represented a not so subtle slight to Israel, which has militarily occupied East Jerusalem since 1967 in direct contravention of international law, which recognizes the eastern half of the holy city as the future capital of a Palestinian state.
These agreements are the latest accords signed between the two nations since Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ visit to Venezuela last year, which saw important advances in the areas of oil, taxation, and diplomatic cooperation.
