The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Venezuelan interim government signed a joint cooperation agreement for $214 million to be used in several stages to rebuild democracy in Venezuela.
The agreement was signed at USAID headquarters in Washington, D.C., in the presence of Carlos Vecchio, Juan Guaidó’s ambassador to the United States, who said that the agreement meant the beginning of a new era for U.S.-Venezuelan relations. The agreement, he added, would help achieve political change in his country.
“This is a historical agreement for us, because we are signing an international cooperation agreement between the U.S. government of President Trump and the [Venezuelan] interim government, enabling us to strengthen Venezuelan society, fight for human rights, reinforce our foreign relations to increase international pressure, and work on the country’s reconstruction process,” Vecchio told Voice of America.
Vecchio added that USAID and the Venezuelan diplomatic delegation in the U.S. would manage the money, abiding by all the parameters of transparency.
According to USAID Administrator Mark Green, $98 million will be used to address the internal situation of the South American country, specifically in terms of human rights, freedom of the press, and development. Another $116 million will be delivered to the United Nations to be distributed to independent non-profit organizations in Venezuela and provide humanitarian assistance throughout the country.