the president of Colombia, Ivan Dukeoffered this Thursday to his American counterpart, Joe BidenColombian oil to stabilize energy prices, after United States maintain contacts with Venezuela on this matter.
“Colombia today it is a country that has more capacity to supply hydrocarbons than Venezuela has,” Duque claimed at a press conference he offered at the Colombian Embassy in Washington after meeting with Biden at the White House.
The first meeting between the two leaders was marked by the visit last weekend of a delegation from EE.UU. to Venezuela to discuss with the government of Nicolás Maduro the release of US prisoners and the oil crisis unleashed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Duque confirmed that he spoke with Biden about the energy issue and told him that “Colombia is an actor who can contribute much more” than his neighbor.
They want to reach a million barrels
Said Colombia produces more than 890,000 barrels per day, which has the goal of reaching one million and that currently Colombian crude represents 3% of imports from United States.
In addition, he assured that the Colombian oil company Ecopetrol has in Texas the “largest investment” of a foreign oil company in the United States.
“Colombia will help increase your market United States to the extent that United States requires it and to the extent of our capabilities,” he said.
Before the trip of the American delegation to Caracas, Ivan Duke stressed that the vision has not changed and that “Colombia and United States They have not recognized the dictatorial regime (of Maduro) as an interlocutor.”
“It is important to say that United States and Colombia we continue to demand the establishment of democracy in Venezuela and calling Nicolás Maduro a dictator,” he said.
The White House spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, stressed this Thursday in her daily press conference that United States It still does not recognize Maduro as “leader of Venezuela”, a country with which he broke diplomatic relations in 2019 by recognizing the interim presidency of the opposition Juan Guaidó.
The Press Secretary stated that the “priority” of the trip was the release of US prisoners and, although the energy issue was discussed, there is no negotiation to “import” Venezuelan crude oil to the United States or lift sanctions on that country’s oil sector.
(With information from EFE)