THE EDITOR: On August 25, 2018, Prime Minister Dr Rowley and Venezuela President Maduro signed the cross-border gas pipeline agreement for TT to access hydro carbons from the Venezuelan Dragon Gas field.

At that signing ceremony, Rowley said this historic deal will allow Venezuelan gas to be monetised on the international market for the benefit of the people of Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.

He said this model of co-operation holds out promise for further agreements in other areas. President Muduro said he believes there is room for the development of robust bilateral trade between the two countries.

During a January news conference, Rowley indicated his government hoped to import 350 million cubic feet of gas per day by pipeline from the Dragon field. The Venezuelan gas would help supplement the country's reduced domestic fossil gas reserves and allow full resumption of exports at Trinidad's partially idled Atlantic Energy Terminal.

Negotiations between Venezuela and TT began in March and continued over the next several months.

On September 20, all the hard work by Rowley and Minister of Energy Stuart Young paid off as a historic signing of this agreement was completed.

The President of Venezuela said the signing and the project to work the Dragon Field in Venezuelan waters and start producing between Venezuela and TT will bring gas to the world and is a message of peace, of complementarity, co-operation, solidarity and exercised and shared sovereignty.

Kudos to the Prime Minister, to our Minister of Energy and their support team who never gave up and pursued this essential and critical arrangement for the development of not only our country but the entire Caribbean and the world at large.

NIGEL SEENATHSINGH

San Fernando

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