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Al Mayadeen interviewed Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil, asking him about various topics from the recent visit may by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to the country to the US sanctions stifling the Venezuelan economy. The interview aired Friday and saw the top Venezuelan diplomat talk about his country's people and its development despite the Western draconian sanctions.

Asked about Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to Venezuela, Gil underlined that the trip came in the context of the agreement signed by President Maduro and President Raisi exactly one year ago in Tehran.

The two parties have signed last year a 20-year strategic alliance that starts in 2022 and lasts until 2042. It includes cooperation in the fields of science and technology, mutual investments, oil, gas, mining, agriculture, petrochemicals, trade, and tourism. "This is what we mean by comprehensive cooperation," he underlined.

President Maduro and President Raisi said during his visit that Venezuela and Iran had a significant relationship that's been in place since Commander Hugo Chavez assumed the presidency of the country, "that is where our interests aligned. Venezuela and Iran are both revolutionary countries, with the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela," he said.

The top diplomat underlined that both Tehran and Caracas "deeply oppose imperialism and firmly believe in diversity and the right of peoples to self-determination while respecting the principles outlined in the United Nations Charter. We share a common vision regarding the importance of securing the welfare of our people.

He also explained that the alliance being built between Iran and Venezuela was going to be a long-term alliance that serves as a fundamental interest in ensuring the well-being of both peoples while also creating global balance.

Gil lauded both states as major powers within their respective regions, drawing parallels between the two countries and how they were victims of attacks, sanctions, and blockades due to how they seek to "transition to a free world through the new geopolitics being reconstructed today."

"Our countries are emerging powers and fundamental pillars of this new world order. There are many shared interests and a lot of common ground. As the presidents stated, we are sister states, and we have a long list of tasks to accomplish in the next twenty years," he added.

Iran, Venezuela bolstering ties

Responding to an inquiry about the agreements signed between Iran and Venezuela during Raisi's trip, Gil said the 25 accords were signed within the framework of a strategic partnership.

"These agreements cover the fields of oil, mining, agriculture, judiciary, transportation, and other areas. This is comprehensive cooperation that is allowing us to make significant progress in bilateral relations. That is a guarantee," he revealed.

"As for the strategic issue, well, we have studied it," he said. "Venezuela and Iran are part of the new world geopolitical order. We possess substantial energy reserves. Iran has developed its industries for oil, gas, and petrochemicals, which are of interest to us, and we share the same common interests. We are partners in OPEC+ and OPEC, and we have a shared vision of the world."

"#Venezuela and #Iran are part of the new world geopolitical order."

Venezuelan FM Yván Gil Pinto discusses the cooperation deal between Venezuela and Iran signed during President #Raisi's visit to #Caracas.@yvangil pic.twitter.com/7Ep3QR0wG5

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 16, 2023

Talking about the downfall of the current world order, Gil highlighted that Maduro and Raisi analyzed and discussed the status quo, in which the United States, "the aggressor in both Iran and Venezuela", is in decline as the dominant power.

Raisi's trip to Caracas was one in which the two presidents "affirmed their responsibility to the world to ensure the stability of their countries and guarantee the stability of their energy production in the face of the geopolitical changes we are experiencing."

Iran and Venezuela, Gil said, are bolstering their ties "not only in the field of energy cooperation but also in other aspects such as trade and tourism. The two countries are connected by international flights, and this will allow us to build a new framework for cooperation among developing countries, which is a dire need."

"The United States has exploited its dominant position and its control over the global currency and trade and tried to change the plans and goals of developing nations," the Venezuelan foreign minister underlined. "Both Iran and Venezuela have been victims of these attacks."

Meanwhile, Iran and Venezuela, as they are rising through the ranks, are not striving to attack anyone or impose their beliefs on any party. "The only thing that both Iran and Venezuela have demanded is the freedom of the people to make their own decisions and that democracy be the system of governance in our countries."

"The only thing that both #Iran and Venezuela have demanded is the freedom of the people to make their own decisions."

Venezuela's FM underlines the #US' economic attacks on developing nations, reaffirming that Iran and #Venezuela are victims of these attacks.@yvangil pic.twitter.com/hFoovy7IGs

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 16, 2023

"That has essentially been the outcry of our peoples and a message that if the world unites, we will achieve progress more effectively," the top diplomat said.

He highlighted that the Islamic Revolution has been in power for 44 years and the Bolivarian Revolution for 24 years, with both movements achieving their goals when their people made a revolutionary decision and chose a path of justice and peace. 

Stifling US sanctions

The United States has imposed more than 900 sanctions on Venezuela, Gil underlined. "In other words, almost all of our sectors have been affected", including the oil, financial, and commercial sectors.

Outlining Venezuela's view of Washington's opinion of the country's ties with foreign partners, Gil said: "We don't really care about what the United States thinks about our relationships and who we are connected to [...] Venezuela respects international law, and so does Iran."

"It would truly be madness for the United States to criticize anyone who has a relationship with Iran or who deals with Venezuela," he stressed in a similar vein.

When it came to the reason why Venezuela and Iran are being sanctioned, Gil said both states were not being attacked "because we have relationships with other countries. They are attacking us because we have decided to be free because we have chosen a just path for our people. That is the truth."

US in decline

There has long been a trend of moral decline within the West, first and foremost, a decline in dominance, which is symbolized by the US status quo.

"The values promoted by the United States are values that the global power has been built upon, values that have nothing to do with humanity at all: racism, exploitation, invasion, and looting of natural resources. This is the reality of this empire, which is now the empire of North America," the Venezuelan minister stressed.

This empire was founded on plundering and violating human rights, he added, noting that the situation was nearing its end because the people of the world are starting to rise up against them and developing alternatives.

"On the other hand, we see how the United States as a society is increasingly deteriorating, a society festering with racism, hatred, drugs, and a series of consequences that gradually increase due to this decay, leading to the end of this social model [...] We are confident that this model will collapse."

He also underlined that a new model would emerge from the old one, a model based on pluralism through different power blocs, ensuring balance in the world.

Furthermore, he described the model proposed by the United States as "a model of exploitation, environmental plunder, human plunder, and an end to everything. It will even lead to the end of the human species if it continues.

He argued, meanwhile, that a model of balance and multiple centers of power was a model that would give humanity a chance. "I believe that this is gradually being achieved."

He cited initiatives such as BRICS, the alliance between Iran and Venezuela, and South-South cooperation as signs of humanity being given a chance.

"These are alternatives that humanity should see with greater hope because they are the ones that will ensure the survival of the human species and the social well-being of the people," he underlined.

A dictatorship

Gil said the United States was regressing, noting that it was only a matter of time, though he clarified that he did not mean the American people, as they "have a need and also hope to see a change in the model they are living in."

"40 million people live in poverty, experiencing daily misery," he said, highlighting that the society they lived in was based on plunder, natural resource theft, invading countries, and neglecting the US society. "This is not sustainable."

"It is a dictatorship," he declared. "This model truly cannot be enforced but through violence."

Gil explained that the world was at a critical stage in terms of global imperialism, saying the model the world order was based on was changing. He said it was dangerous because the US is an immensely powerful force that has weapons and the capability to destroy the planet if it so wished.

"Let us hope that wisdom and sound judgment prevail and that this transition from a unipolar world to a multipolar world gradually takes place in peace."

Growing technological prowess

Science and technology are extremely important areas for both Iran and Venezuela, he said, adding that these issues were discussed by both Presidents. "They talked about eh impact of social media platforms, for example, which is an extremely significant issue." 

Venezuela, Gil narrated, has fought battles because its enemies sought to build a reality about the country by spreading misinformation on social media, though Caracas succeded in combating the lies made up against it.

In light of the need for a united front against Western misinformation, the Venezuelan foreign minister underlined the necessity of the joint alliance established between Venezuela and Iran to counter tech and information issues.

"How can we be present on social media networks and present the conveyed message? For example, through channels like Al Mayadeen and how they convey truthful information. This is what we are witnessing already, and it is happening at the right time," he said.

"The ministries of information in Iran and Venezuela have signed an agreement on the exchange of information, and so did the news agencies, because we are in a battle, and we must fight it," Gil stressed.

"The war they are waging against Iran and Venezuela has multiple fronts, and the front they are most heavily fighting on is the one of information and social media networks [...] We have a crucial mission to convey the truth, and I believe that through the collaboration between Al Mayadeen and Venezuela, the two parties will work to ensure that the truth gets to the people more frequently," he concluded.