After his latest international tour, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was interviewed by Al Mayadeen CEO Ghassan Ben Jeddou in an exclusive, extensive interview that saw him addressing domestic, regional, and international issues.

The first phase of President Maduro's Eurasian and African tour was "necessary, especially after the pandemic, in order to activate political, humanitarian, diplomatic, economic, trade, energy, and cultural ties," the Venezuelan leader said in response to a question about the reasons behind the timing of his interview.

Asked about whether the tour's timing intentionally coincided with the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, from which his country, Venezuela, as well as Cuba and Nicaragua, were excluded, Maduro explained that the tour had been pre-arranged, and it coincided with the date of the summit. 

"I tell you, fortunately, there are no coincidences, but there are causes… and the biggest reason is that a new world has been born, and we are really talking about the birth of a new humanity," he told Ben Jeddou.

The Latin American leader thanked Argentine President Alberto Fernandez "for his courageous speech. He is also the rotating President of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). I really appreciate the courage of the Argentine President."

President Fernandez had heavily criticized the United States for not inviting all American countries to attend the summit after its arbitrary decision against several Latin American states.

Maduro also extended his thanks to more than twenty governments from the region "for their honorable speeches as criticism and protests were launched against the alleged decision to exclude Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. I am really grateful for the unified stance and the unanimity that characterized the position of the 14 Caribbean nations."

A new humanity

The Venezuelan President cited "the birth of a new humanity" as the reason behind his latest international tour. "We are all walking towards it. I mean all the presidents, all the monarchs, all the heads of government, all the leaders I met in Turkey, Algeria, Iran, Kuwait, Qatar, and now here in Azerbaijan. These six countries are friendly countries, and we have consolidated this friendship over many years and built political ties, diplomatic relations, and personal friendships, and now we have drawn up new plans for a new phase of broader relations."

Venezuela is discussing with the aforementioned countries the prospects of broader cooperation at various levels, such as energy. "We developed economic, commercial, agricultural, scientific, and technical relations, and there are remarkable results on the economic level, especially that we achieved significant investments during this crucial round."

Clarifying whether his tour was economic or political and strategic as well, considering that most of the countries he visited had oil, gas, and economic significance, Maduro said the tour was mainly strategic.

"It is strategic indeed. The relationship is strategic when it comes to the new world and the new humanity that we are building together [...] most of them are our partners in the world of energy, in OPEC and in OPEC+."

Maduro noted that the tour also had an economic dimension to it. "It is also an economic tour, with a great focus on trade, in order to strengthen trade relations, especially now that they have recovered. Venezuela has new products, and practical capabilities newly built."

The Venezuelan leader underlined the significance of the tour in the area of human relations. "We were received with love by all the leaders and eminent figures of the six countries. They welcomed us with sincerity, love, and brotherly affection as if I were their brother living in South America."

"This affection was not towards a person named Nicolas Maduro," he explained. "It is an admiration for the people of Venezuela, expressed on the lips of dignitaries, from heads of state and heads of government and in the streets of cities, in the smiling faces of people from all over this region of Eurasia and part of Africa as well."

President Maduro revealed that plans had been made during the tour with the six countries for networking and linking the regions. "In the coming months, we will have direct flights to several countries, such as Algeria and Qatar, among other countries."

Further plans included economic investment, with Maduro saying he had "an exchange with enthusiastic businessmen willing to invest in Venezuela, notably in tourism. Venezuela is a beautiful and wonderful country. During this tour, we were able to show the beauty and reality of our country, and with this air connection we will achieve our goals in this entire region [...] they all see Venezuela as a tourist destination, and Venezuela is the gateway to South America."

OPEC, oil prices key topic in summits

President Maduro also commented on the major strategic issues he discussed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian Leader Ali Khamenei, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, saying, "It is quite natural that we talk about everything, exchange opinions, and ask each other questions. In this kind of meeting, questions are asked, and one is asked: What is it like in Latin America? How do we see the world?"

Praising the importance of the countries he visited in the energy sector, Maduro underlined how they all were OPEC+ members. "We talked a lot about the role of OPEC+ as the most powerful global body in the field of markets and prices," he added, reminding that energy prices have soared and that oil reached $120 per barrel. "If it were not for oil governments and OPEC+, this oil would have reached $150 per barrel."

"We talked about all these issues, and this crisis was an opportunity during which we were able to exchange vision and wisdom with our fellow heads of state and heads of government in the six countries," Maduro highlighted.

Strategic deal with Iran highly important

"It seems to me that signing an agreement for cooperation and joint action with Iran for the next twenty years is very important. Where will we be in 20 years? Do you imagine it? We will be in a different kind of world. A new era is being born quickly, and what is happening is the transition of humanity towards a new era, towards a new humanity," President Maduro said about the two-decade agreement signed between Caracas and Tehran.

A world without hegemonic empires

When asked about what he meant when talking about a "new world", President Maduro explained that he meant a world without hegemonic empires. "A world where no one is the sole policeman and judge of this world... we want a world where we are all equal, respecting each other, no matter the size of the country, whether it is a big country or a small one."

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Venezuela and Latin America, the leader said, are effectively part of the alternative world for a new humanity. "We are indeed part of the multipolar and multi-centric world, but we are on the front lines."

He underlined that Latin America has the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of America (ALBA), Nicaragua, Cuba, and the Caribbean countries, stressing that "We believe in this path that will lead us to a new human world that will be born and strengthened, sooner rather than later."

"Everyone is well informed about the situation in Venezuela and Latin America and the Caribbean, and [the leaders of the countries I visited] all agreed that the time had come to network the economic forces in the processes of investment and co-growth in the areas of agriculture and trade, science, technology, culture and tourism, and continue to promote and develop the pillars of close political dialogue, political friendship, and build everything we imagine in this world we are fortunately a part of," he said, hinting that the Latin American country was growing in significance and would sign agreements with various countries from around the world and boost its economic growth.

Intercultural communication

Commenting further on his view of a "new world", the president also underlined that the planet was advancing toward this vision. "A new consensus has been born about the need for a world of peace and understanding, where international law comes first; peace and respect for human dignity come first. This consensus, I could call it the 21st-century consensus. The consensus on a new humanity. A consensus that is already emerging and has been born, and this is the right time for him to come, and things are changing."

Asked about what he had heard strategically from President Erdogan and leader Ali Khamenei on major strategic issues, Maduro underlined that all the countries shared a common vision, which is that a new world was emerging from the current one.

"I shared with them what I personally believed to be a new consensus on the need for the birth of a new world… There are ideas, concepts, words, policies, and actions that reveal the stance of every pole in its own way. We cannot pretend to unite humanity in one idea," he added, calling for the realization of intercultural communication. "I prefer to return to the concept of dialogue about the importance of diversity in the world. A dialogue between cultures. A dialogue between civilizations, between ideologies, and between the leaders of political models."

He underscored that imperialism failed when it pretended it could unite humanity in one idea. " This is the great failure of imperialism, which insists on playing the role of judge and policeman who issues orders. In this world and that, we all have to obey it...Let us not wait or look for the realization of unified thought."

He highlighted how advanced technologies have changed the world, saying, "The world is the world of new trading mechanisms and new monetary mechanisms, encrypted assets, cryptocurrencies, and digital currencies. Attention should be paid to all of this, and also in the field of communications, where social networks have dissolved and changed all equations, the world of communication has changed, and certainly the cultural and media world."

Ukraine crisis is war on Russia

President Maduro voiced his concern about an escalation of the military and political conflict in Ukraine. "The war in Ukraine is not only a local military war. The war in Ukraine is a global and economic war, with political and diplomatic implications. It is indeed a global war. It is a war against Russia, and its goal is to destroy Russia."

He indicated the effects of the thousands of sanctions imposed on Russia, saying their effect was apostasy to those who waged the sanctions campaign. "All the sanctions rebounded on Europe itself and the United States, and on the whole world. The prices of foodstuffs, fertilizers, and oil have risen and the economic crisis has worsened, but none of the elites of Europe and the United States saw this."

"I mean the European and American elites, the only thing they see is their desire for revenge, especially against Russia, and that's what worries me the most," he underlined.

He voiced his desire for a better world with new mechanisms for diplomatic dialogue and a chance at building peace and understanding, with no sanctions and economic warfare, which he said: "turned against the peoples of the world and turned into inflation and scarcity of materials and unsustainable and unsolved problems."

Venezuela victorious against fearmongering

Responding to a question about his opinion on the psychological warfare used today, Maduro said, "hate and fear, two elements that are used to generate irrational behavior, to justify violence and to justify all that cannot be justified."

"We are the victims of that hatred throughout the 23 years of the revolution. We have won over hatred and fearmongering campaigns among people and the repetition of lies on a daily basis in order to sow this fear," he underlined.

"When hatred meets fear, fascism is born, fascism as an ideology, and also emerges in political and social behavior. The question is about who created hatred and fear in this historical circumstance on the international scene? It's the empires. But they failed, also thanks to social networks. Everything has become known, and the truth is beginning to emerge," the Venezuelan leader said.

"I believe that the peoples of the world have more awareness today than ever before in the face of fascist fear and hate campaigns aimed at justifying war, among other things," he stressed.

Highlighting the goodwill of the people of Venezuela, Maduro said although they were victims of American imperialism, "they do not hate the United States. We really don't hate the people of the United States, and although we are still victims of that minority of drug oligarchs that rule Colombia, we don't hate Colombia, and I can assure you that we are warriors, and we are a people of resistance who carry the sword that we inherited from liberators."

Venezuela supports the Palestinian cause

"I can really tell you as a revolutionary and a Bolivarian fighter that we really want peace for the whole region. We want peace for the Palestinian people, for the people of Lebanon, for the people of Syria, for the people of Iraq, for the people of Iran and for all the peoples of this region," Maduro underlined.

"We seek peace that respects the right of people to existence. Venezuela confirms its permanent position regarding the Palestinian cause. Venezuela reiterates all its love, solidarity and support for the historical right to independence and liberation for the Palestinian soil and to build their state within the framework of international laws, ratified repeatedly by the United Nations. We are against the threats of war, aggression and violence."

Venezuela has a solid democracy

Responding to a question about Juan Guaido, the US-backed Venezuelan presidential candidate, and Presidnet Biden's ignoring of the reality in Venezeula, Maduro quoted US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, by saying: "Who is this guy? I don't remember his name, and I don't know who he is."

"Venezuela has a solid democracy, and we Venezuelans will continue to exercise political power in the coming years through direct participatory democracy and through the ballot box. Venezuela has strong institutions. It has five powers, as stipulated in the constitution," he stressed.

The Bolivarian country, Maduro said, has "strong and recently elected legislators. The judiciary is also currently undergoing a process of deep reforms. The electoral authority that Bolivar laid down its foundations, which is solid, strong, mechanized, and adopts the technological system. The authority of citizenship or the moral authority, the Public Prosecution of the Republic, the Central Inspection, the moral authorities of the country, and the executive authority are headed by the president of the country, this courageous president, the president of the people: Nicolas Maduro."

Praising his country's strength, he said it also had two important powers that emanate directly from the people:  "popular power or social power, citizenship power, people power, the power of organized people and always mobilized people, and - military power."

First fighter, not first lady

The president's wife, Celia Flores, he said, "stands by my side in all battles [...] She is a great revolutionary leader in Venezuela. She is a leader and a fighter, and the Venezuelan people love and respect her and call her the 'first fighter'."

He went on to explain that the Venezuelan people do not refer to her as "the first lady", instead, they call her "the first fighter". "She leads Venezuelan women in the spirit of the liberated heroines of South America, in the spirit of Manuela Scienz and Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi, in the spirit of the warriors who left us their legacy."

"This is my wife Celia; we are always together in all battles: we are simply like this. The working-class president and the first fighter," he stressed.

10 years and Al Mayadeen is still telling the truth

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro congratulated Al Mayadeen on its 10th anniversary, saying, "10 years passed, and Al Mayadeen, with complete loyalty, continued to tell the truth and to prosper in the world," expressing his desire to visit Beirut, the city in which the channel is located.

"I traveled to Beirut in my dreams, really. We have a large Lebanese community in Venezuela. My wife visited Beirut in 2006. She was vice-speaker of Parliament, and she went with a women's delegation to Beirut in August 2006," President Maduro revealed.

"Celia told me that they passed in Beirut to express their solidarity, but the place was completely destroyed by the missiles. I've been wanting to visit Beirut ever since," Maduro said, hoping to be able to visit Lebanon soon.

"Until then, congratulations to Al Mayadeen. Greetings to all the Arab and Islamic peoples who follow this esteemed station," he concluded.