Venezuela praises SVG during anniversary celebrations

St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) has received high praise as the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela celebrates its 206th anniversary of independence.

Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in St Vincent and the Grenadines His Excellency Yuri Pimentel extended these praises to Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves during a celebratory event at the Venezuelan Embassy on July 5.

During his remarks, Pimentel noted that other Caribbean nations also played a fundamental role in the Venezuelan fight for independence between 1811 and 1823, when the republicans defeated the imperialist army.

He, however, stated that 200 years later, his people are still fighting for their freedom.

“Imperial forces seeking to impose new colonialisms have mutated their methods; today they do not necessarily use military forces to subdue free people; for that, they have a whole culture and industry which tries to end our identities.”

Pimentel added that these forces control international occurrences and governments that do the “dirty work” for them, either through economic submission, or legal diplomatic harassment.

“With institutions such as the Organization of American States, which have sought to sow Trojan Horses that justify aggression against our country.”

The Ambassador stated that although Venezuelans would continue to fight any set of difficulties, they are not alone in the battle for dignity and self-determination, as Caribbean governments have been a fundamental pillar to resist the onslaughts of imperialism against Venezuela.

“A fundamental role has undoubtedly been played by the Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines, with Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves in the frontline, for which we wish to take advantage of this patriotic date to thank deeply on behalf of our people and president Nicolas Maduro,” the Ambassador said.

Also making remarks, Minister of Sustainable Development Camillo Gonsalves described the Venezuelan Declaration of Independence as an inspiration to other Caribbean countries.

According to Gonsalves, the Declaration and the forces it unleashed are one of three very important moments in shedding the shackles of colonialism in the southern hemisphere.

He said two additional moments are the United States of America’s July 4, 1776 Declaration of Independence and Haiti’s January 1, 1804 Declaration.

According to him, those events really unleashed the anti-colonial spirit; however, while they affected their own nations, the Venezuelan Declaration affected the region.

“Hugo Chavez imagined that a new world was possible and he put his philosophy, inspired by Bolivar, into action and just like Bolivar, he didn’t see that independence as a narrow Venezuelan event, but as a regional matter and therefore took into his embrace and inspired governments across Central and South America, the Caribbean, including our own here in St Vincent and the Grenadines.”

In closing, Gonsalves said the Vincentian government is grateful to count Venezuelans and their government among their closest friends.

“On July 5, 1811, Venezuela revealed to the world, the will of its people to free themselves from the chains, which bounded them to the Spanish empire. The Declaration of Independence of Venezuela and subsequent events were the expression that the model of colonial domination had been exhausted throughout the continent. This was understood by the Liberator Simon Bolivar and the group of heroes who accompanied him in the emancipating gesture, who radically raised the flags of independence,” a release from the Venezuelan Embassy said.