AVN.- Strengthening the cooperation ties between Venezuela and South Africa will allow to materialize strategic alliances in the area of mining and projects related to diamond mining industry.
At the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) in Caracas, Venezuela's Minister for Ecological Mining Development, Jorge Arreaza, met with the South African delegation headed by Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources, Godfrey Oliphant, to assess the possible investment areas.
"We hope with this visit of the South African delegation and South African companies that are here, to sign as soon as possible ... the creation of a joint venture under the terms established by Venezuelan laws," said Arreaza.
The visit of the South African delegation, said Arreaza, was possible after prior talks resulting in agreements "that are being fulfilled thanks to the will of the South African people."
"There will be this week a new trip with the Venezuelan technicians and the delegation of South Africa. This is already a question of closing processes and materializing them and see in a few months the South African investment with the Venezuelan majority, taking advantage of the diamond industry in the Orinoco's Mining Arch," he told reporters.
He said that diamond mining activities will be carried out in the Guaniamo area, located in the Orinoco's Mining Arch in Bolivar state.
"They believe that mining, and indeed it did so in South Africa, can translate into benefits for the South African people and in this case for the entire Venezuelan people. They have the best environmental care technicians, bring us innovative proposals beyond the investment of the diamond with marine mining, mining in rivers and with companies that developed the technology so we can study the process of joint exploitation," he said.
He ratified that the boost given to this zone will allow to generate new sources of foreign exchange, as part of the implementation of the Mining Engine of the Bolivarian Economic Agenda, launched by the Executive branch to diversify the productive sector and preserve the policy of social justice, implemented for 17 years by the Bolivarian Revolution.
"That mining of concession that was given to transnational corporations no longer exist in Venezuela and that benefit of downstream mining development will go directly to social investment, the fund of missions and major missions and the lives of Venezuelans," he said.
Certification and accompaniment
Arreaza also thanked the South African country for its support for Venezuela joining the Kimberley process.
"South Africa has also been very supportive of Venezuela's reincorporation into the Kimberley process, which is the process that certifies the purity of diamonds from every point of view, not just mineral, but also that there are no conflicts associated with their exploitation. Thanks to them, we are here today to develop joint diamond projects, projects where the Venezuelan state maintains a sovereign majority of the shares of joint ventures or strategic alliances," he said.
He also thanked South Africa's support for Venezuela's return, after an eight-year absence, into the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, an export control protocol permitting the legal trading of diamonds on the international market.
He also thanked South Africa's support for Venezuela's return, after an eight-year absence, into the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, an export control protocol permitting the legal trading of diamonds on the international market.
For his part, BCV's head and president of the Venezuelan Mining Corporation, Jose Khan stressed that "it is not a question of just extracting the raw material, but transforming it, adding value and making the country grow."
"We are hopeful to carry forward the signing of two agreements, one relating to the (creation) of the joint venture and the other is the issue of training and knowledge, that they (South Africa) with so much experience of the Kimberley process, will guide us how to get into the different commissions that are there," said Khan.
In this regard, Oliphant said that with this process of exploitation "we can share the experience of our country in diamond cutting and polishing and we are also willing to receive in South Africa some of the (Venezuelan) experts to share with us what they have been making in the last years."
"South Africa has been working on diamond mining for many years and our delegation has brought the best experts in this area so that we only have to strengthen our strategic relationship so that we can benefit each other from this activity, but especially to make it the people of Venezuela to benefit from it in order to have a better standard of living," he said.
Oliphant also said they hope to reach an agreement this week to be able to begin the process of exploitation and production of diamonds.
They believe this agreement will address the issue of mining, technology and exploitation. "We want to demonstrate in the actions how to extract diamonds along with the Venezuelans in a way that is safe and sustainable," Oliphant said.
To start the process of diamond mining: "First of all, security measures should take into account the peoples so they can work safely and healthily, but above all, the environment must be given great importance in order to preserve the environment. There is a specific program on environmental protection but also on the rehabilitation of the same," he explained.
This strategic alliance, said Oliphant, will be headed by the Venezuelan authorities, and "can be from Government to Government or from Government to private sector or a combination of both."
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