Monday, October 5 2009

VENEZUELA has reaffirmed its commitment to continue to strengthen diplomatic relations with Trinidad and Tobago. This commitment was given by new Venezuelan Ambassador to TT, Maria Eugenia Marcano Casado to Foreign Affairs Minister Paula Gopee- Scoon on Thursday.

Casado paid a courtesy call on Gopee- Scoon at her Queen’s Park West office in Port-of-Spain after presenting her diplomatic credentials to President George Maxwell Richards. She has 30 years of experience in the Venezuelan foreign service and previously held the post of Venezuela’s External Affairs representative at Bancoex, Venezuela’s Bank of Foreign Trade.

During their meeting, Gopee-Scoon stressed the need to deepen TT-Venezuela ties in light of their geographical proximity, shared history and ingrained cultural ties. Casado noted that the Venezuelan Embassy has embarked on a Spanish language course with 250 students from TT.

She added there are a large number of Venezuelan citizens living in this country and the Embassy’s objective is to represent the dynamic relations that exist at the moment.

TT and Venezuela first established diplomatic relations with each other in 1963.