Newsletter37

Bolivarian Government of Venezuela

Ministry of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs

Vol. 3: Issue 37, 12th September, 2017

Embassies of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the World

Weekly Newsletter Cuba cleans up after Hurricane Irma tears through Caribbean

Venezuela sends humanitarian aid to the sister Republic of Cuba after Hurricane Irma Venezuela sends 10 tons of nonperishable food, medicines, utensils and drinking water in order to support aid work following Hurricane Irma disaster along the north coast of the Caribbean island.

President Nicolás Maduro instructed "that the airlift to the brother countries of the Caribbean will continue”, Minister Reverol said from Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetía.

Likewise, the Chargé d'Affaires of Cuba accredited in Venezuela, Luis García Trujillo thanked the people and the Bolivarian Government of Venezuela for the demonstration of brotherhood and solidarity with the Caribbean Island.

So far there have been no reports of deaths in Cuba. Elsewhere in the Caribbean, 26 deaths have been attributed to Irma. Nine were in various French territories, one in Barbuda, one in Anguilla, four in St. Maarten, four in the British Virgin Islands, four in the US Virgin Islands, and three in Puerto Rico.

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Inside This Issue 1. Cuba cleans up after Hurricane Irma tears through Caribbean

The Cuban government prepared by staging emergency supplies and building equipment ahead of the arrival of Irma. Authorities cut power to parts of the city and evacuated around 10,000 people from central Havana amid concerns of storm surge flooding, according to Reuters.

Irma left a string of small Caribbean islands devastated, many of which are still assessing damage as they prepare for Hurricane Jose.

Mexico earthquake: Rescue efforts continue

Ninety people are now confirmed dead in the quake that struck off Mexico's southern coast. It was the most powerful to hit the country in a century and was felt as far as Mexico City and Guatemala City by an estimated 50 million people.

2. Venezuela, Iran and Turkey in the summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation: Recovering oil prices 3. Germany's Merkel open to Iran-style solution with North Korea, signaling break with US 4.Japan interested in investing in the Venezuelan Mining Arc 5. AFRICA: Sub-Saharan Africa Oil and Gas resources

With the destruction Irma left in her wake, authorities are still surveying damage from the record-breaking storm, and this story will be updated as more details emerge.

The majority of the deaths were in Oaxaca state, where homes and buildings collapsed. Oaxaca's governor said Saturday that 71 people had died in his state, Oaxaca's Civil Protection agency said via Twitter.

Venezuela sent a new shipment of humanitarian aid, this time to the island of San Martin, affected to a great extent by the passage of hydro meteorological phenomena in the Caribbean.

Mexico's interior ministry has also reported 15 deaths in the state of Chiapas and four in the state of Tabasco. President Enrique PeĂąa Nieto said Mexico's army, marines and federal police had been mobilized to respond. The quake struck as the effects of Hurricane Katia were starting to be felt in eastern Mexico.

Nestor Reverol, Minister of People's Power for Internal Affairs, Justice and Peace, explained that a total of 10 tons of supplies are being sent among them being medicines, mattresses, drinking water, canned food, sheets, clothes, blankets, among other things destined to take care of the families that are in shelters who have been displaced by the three hur4ricanes present in the Atlantic Ocean namely Hurricanes Irma, Jose and Katia.

Likewise, he informed that in addition the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB spanish acronym) will provide support for the evacuation of people, not only in San Martin but also in other affected islands such as in the case of Barbuda.

The destruction Irma left behind in Florida Hurricane Irma weakened as it pummeled Florida -- but the storm still packed a powerful punch, spawning torrential downpours, tornadoes and flash floods.

First Irma slammed into the Florida Keys Sunday morning as a Category 4 hurricane, ripping roofs off of mobile homes and littering roads with debris. A day later, it had weakened to a tropical storm, but still brought dangerous storm surge flooding to Jacksonville.

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www.edition.cnn.com: www.mppre.gob.ve: www.telesurtv.net

Venezuela, Iran and Turkey in the summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation: Recovering oil prices

President Nicolas Maduro met in Kazakhstan with his counterparts from Turkey and Iran, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hasán Rohaní. Maduro will present in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana, proposals about the setting of the oil price, before the Summit of the OPEC on September 22 in Vienna.

The Venezuelan Head of State also spoke in Kazakhstan with representatives of the OPEC and other producers from outside the cartel. Venezuela participated in the Summit of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation in Science and Technology, as the country that presides the Non Aligned Movement.

President Maduro ratified Venezuela´s commitment with justice and peace, in front of the Organization for the Islamic Cooperation, comprised by more than 50 members. The Venezuelan government also held encounters with Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

Turkey and Venezuela consolidate strategic relations to favor the people On his visit to Kazakhstan, the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro held a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

During the meeting, both leaders recalled the common challenges of their sister nations and ratified the bonds of friendship and cooperation for development.

Likewise, they established strategic relations that will allow agreements with OPEC and non OPEC countries to advance and to reach sustainable prices of crude. www.mppre.gob.ve

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Germany's Merkel open to Iran-style solution with North Korea, signaling break with US

The move brings Merkel closer to Chinese and Russian proposals to solve the Korean peninsula crisis through talks rather than isolating Pyongyang.

U.S. President Donald Trump's attempts to isolate North Korea and further stoke military tensions in the Korean peninsula faced a further setback this weekend as German Chancellor Angela Merkel floated the possibility that she would assist in a diplomatic initiative to end the regional crisis.

Merkel cited the Iran nuclear talks as a model and joined a growing chorus of voices seeking to avoid military conflict in Asia.

The comments from the leading head of state come amid a rift that's grown between Berlin and Washington over topics ranging from trade policy to the Paris climate deal, sanctions, as well as the question of Germany's growing role in Europe.

Merkel, who is predicted to win the September 24 general elections, is seen by German constituents as a safe and predictable bet during times of global uncertainty. The proposal resembles the positions of Beijing and Moscow, who have unequivocally condemned North Korea's thermonuclear weapons tests yet have been vocal about the need to mitigate the escalating tensions by diplomatically engaging, rather than threatening, Pyongyang.

"If our participation in talks is desired, I will immediately say yes," Merkel told Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. She pointed to negotiations that led to a landmark nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers in 2015, when Germany and five other countries on the United Nations Security Council with veto power took part in talks that led to Iran agreeing to curb its nuclear program in return for a lifting of most sanctions.

Referring to the agreement as "a long but important time of diplomacy," she noted the positive outcome of the laborious negotiation process that came to a "happy ending" last year, when the deal was implemented. "I could imagine such a format being used to settle the North Korea conflict.

Europe and especially Germany should be prepared to play a very active part in that," Merkel added, nothing that a nuclear arms race would serve no one's interests.

Europe should unite its efforts to bring about a diplomatic solution and "do everything that can be done in terms of sanctions", she said. The publication of Merkel's proposal came shortly after Friday's discussion held between Chinese President Xi Jinping and the French President Emmanuel Macron, who both condemned Pyongyang's weapons tests while agreeing to redouble efforts to resolve the crisis through peaceful and diplomatic means. Merkel has spoken to the Chinese leader and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about North Korea in the past few days.

FAZ – TASS – Guardian – Reuters – CBS by teleSUR / egb-CL

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Japan interested in investing in the Venezuelan Mining Arc Japan expressed its interest in a series of investments in the Venezuelan mining arc, informed Caracas.

The governments of Japan and Venezuela exchanged ideas during the Summit of the Organization for the Islamic Cooperation in Science and Technology that takes place in Astana, Kazakhstan. Venezuela´s Minister of Petroleum, Eulogio Del Pino, met in Astana with Japan´s Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Hiroshige Seko.

The Venezuelan Mining Arc contemplates an area of approximately 114 thousand square kilometers, where companies from Russia,

Canada, Great Britain, South Africa, United States, China and Australia are investing. Del Pino said that he expects a more intense participation of Japan in the Mining Arc. www.mppre.gob.ve

Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Caracas analyze oil market Saudi Arabia and Venezuelareviewed the global agreement that they have with Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and eleven non oil producing countries have decided to withdraw from the market of about 1.8 million barrels of crude oil.

Venezuela's Oil Minister Eulogio Del Pino met with his Saudi Arabian counterpart Jalid Falih in Kazakhstan, but the conclusions of the meeting were not given out. Venezuela also met with authorities in the United Arab Emirates in the capital Astana, where the Organization for Islamic Cooperation in Science and Technology Summit is taking place. www.mppre.gob.ve

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AFRICA: Sub-Saharan Africa Oil and Gas resources Sub-Saharan Africa - SAOGA

Sub-Saharan Africa is becoming increasingly important for the global oil and gas sector. The region’s share in the global oil and gas reserve and production is now approximately 10 per cent, and there is significant potential for stakeholders in this industry.

Since 2000, exploration activity has confirmed the regions oil and gas potential, with many countries confirming oil and/or gas reserves.

Sub-Saharan Africa - the next 20 years In the next 20 years Sub-Saharan Africa will see significant changes in the upstream and midstream sectors of the oil and gas value chain. Included in this section is an examination of current Oil & Gas activity and an assessment of proposed future Oil & Gas activity over the next 20 years.

Refineries Sub-Saharan Africa's refineries are old and ageing and Sub-Saharan Africa is under-invested in refining capacity relative to other regions of the world.

Sub-Saharan Africa Refinery Statistics SAOGA

Offshore Oil & Gas Activity Current offshore activity is heavily focused on West Africa closer to central Africa. In the next few years this is expected to change significantly with increased activity off the coast of East Africa and Southern Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa Offshore Activty SAOGA

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www.saoga.org.za