Venezuela President Maduro speaks to CGTN at press conference

World Today

Nicolas MaduroVenezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, center, arrives for a news conference in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017. Immigration authorities in Colombia announced that Venezuela’s ousted chief prosecutor Luisa Ortega Diaz is on her way to Brazil. Ortega said that Maduro removed her in order to stop a probe linking him and his inner circle to nearly $100 million in bribes from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

At a press conference in Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro responds to CGTN America’s question about the nation’s economic recovery following the recent tumult and the election of a constituent assembly – and what the nation’s next steps may be.

TRANSCRIPT:

Elaine Reyes from CGTN America:
Do you feel Venezuela is now on the path to recovery, following the election of the new constituent assembly. What are your next steps in your country’s economic recovery?

President Maduro:
Excellent question. I think the harm that has been inflicted upon our country, especially in the last four months of violence has a human toll. In Venezuela something terrible has happened.

When I saw the images of Charlottesville, my hope was that U.S. citizens never have to suffer from fascist hate, because in our country 29 people were burned alive, because they were suspected of being Chavistas, or their color of skin was brown like mine, or because of their humble origin. They looked poor, 9 of those people died and the 20 that survived are scared for their lives.

Of course, because this was done by the right wing anti-Chavista opposition, the international media was silent.

Recovery will take time, but the national constituent assembly has already shown its power. Venezuela is in peace and now we need to consolidate that peace.

Meanwhile, we need to tackle other issues, like the international defense against the financial blockage that Donald Trump has decreed. Trump has dictated a financial persecution against Venezuela.

The constituent assembly needs to stand up and defend the country, we need to start a process of economic recovery and battle artificial inflation. We need to start the process of recovering our national production, through the different areas that we have defined, to promote national development projects for the post-oil area.

I am pretty sure that the constituent assembly was the right the way to restore peace in our country. I am pretty sure that the constituent assembly, within these two years will protect our country, allowing us to resume the path to economic growth, income redistribution and social development of the country.