Perez Marcano speaks of oil prices

Yoel Perez Marcano

The ALBA Bank is owned by Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua.  News Five also questioned Ambassador Perez Marcano if any changes were contemplated in the medium to long term period in respect of the interest rates which stand at between one and two percent to beneficiary countries, as has been speculated in international media. The ambassador responded that the Embassy was not privy to that information.

Yoel Perez Marcano, Venezuelan Ambassador to Belize

“I would not be able to say because our petroleum corporation – PDVSA – deals directly with the workings of Petrocaribe. What I can say is that we are abiding by the agreements set out by Petrocaribe with respect to the percentages and costs that are levied to countries based on the market price of oil. For example, we have three levels of pricing: one for below eighty dollars per barrel, one for between eighty and a hundred dollars, and one for above the one hundred dollars cost price of oil. And now the price of oil is at one hundred and four to one hundred and five dollars, a quantitative modification is made on the percentage charged to the member countries. Our embassy does not have information on the initial cost that was approved. It is incorrect to suggest that Venezuela has increased or decreased the cost to certain countries. Venezuela is a producer of oil in quantities that can meet the energy needs of all its members. The Petrocaribe pact consists of eighteen participants who share the same agreements and obligations equally.”

The Venezuelan representative also said that other areas of interest between the two countries are in agriculture and tourism. And according to Perez Marcano, he is pushing for the opening of a Belize Embassy in Caracas, given the twenty five years of relations with Belize and the uninterrupted diplomatic presence of Venezuela in Belize.