<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his “utmost respect” for Repsol on Monday after the company's CEO, Josu Jon Imaz, personally conveyed to US President Donald Trump his gratitude for “opening the door to a better Venezuela” and pledged to triple its production in the Caribbean country.</strong></h4> “Repsol has been operating in Venezuela for many years, even before I became Prime Minister, and therefore, what we must do is express our utmost respect for a company that operates according to private, and perfectly legitimate, criteria,” Sánchez stated at a press conference after meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Moncloa Palace complex. “What we as a government have always done, even in critical situations, such as when Repsol's operations or presence in Venezuela were being questioned, is to defend Repsol's interests in all international forums and before all governments that had doubts about what a private company might do in a third country like Venezuela,” he continued. “When we talk about the need for Spain to be a significant player, mediating and facilitating the necessary transition to free and fair elections in Venezuela that restore legitimacy to its government and thus allow for a real, effective, and inclusive transition to democracy, it is clear that we also need this presence and this economic cooperation,” he explained. “Therefore, from the perspective of the Spanish government, we do not see anything wrong with, on the contrary, we respect and appreciate, the presence of private companies in Venezuela, as in many other Latin American countries,” he added. During a meeting with the White House, Donald Trump urged oil companies (Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips, Chevron, Repsol, Eni, Trafigura, and Shell, among others) to invest approximately €86 billion to revive oil production in Venezuela. During the meeting, Josu Jon Imaz expressed the Spanish company's willingness to increase its investments in Venezuela and triple its production in the next two to three years, provided the right conditions are met. He also emphasized the importance of following the US president's recommendations to foster growth in the South American country. Repsol currently produces around 45,000 barrels of oil per day in Venezuela, a figure that could expand significantly in the short term. In this regard, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, also expressed his respect for Repsol's involvement in this new phase opening up in Venezuela. “I will not be the one to add pressure to a Spanish company,” Albares declared during his speech at the Ateneo Breakfasts at the Ateneo in Madrid. “The situation is complex and difficult, and a businessman is neither a diplomat, nor a politician, nor a foreign minister,” he cautioned. “Spain’s foreign policy is conducted by the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister, and what Repsol must do is try to safeguard its interests, which also represent jobs in Spain, and from within Spain,” he added.
