María Corina Machado on the oil agreement with the US: 'Investment requires the legitimacy and stability of a democratic government in Venezuela'
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate's statements were endorsed by U.S. Congressman Carlos Giménez, who linked the country's prosperity to the end of the regime and the return of democracy.
María Corina Machado during protests in Caracas in August 2024.
María Corina Machado stated her position on the large-scale energy agreement announced between the U.S. government and the Venezuelan regime and warned that its true scope remains unknown. The leader maintained that any large-scale oil investment requires the legitimacy and stability of a democratic government.
"Who is signing? What exactly is being signed? Who is providing the money? Who is offering the guarantees? How does this benefit Venezuelans?" Machado asked in a video posted on her social media accounts.
The Venezuelan leader explained that she waited a few days before speaking about the agreement in order to gather as much information as possible on an issue that, she said, has generated "deep concern regarding its implications for the future of our country."
Machado emphasized that oil is only one part of the reconstruction Venezuela needs and stated that any large-scale investment must be accompanied by a plan that allows the country to function comprehensively.
"We need the entire country to function, for value chains to be integrated, for sufficient electricity to be generated, and for ports to have operational capacity," she stated.
She also defended Venezuela's strategic potential and its relationship with the United States, which she described as "the key partner that Venezuela needs to fully realize its strategic value."
However, she emphasized that the country's resources belong to the Venezuelan people. "The wealth of our land does not belong to an illegitimate regime; it belongs to the Venezuelan people," she maintained.
Transparency, legality, and efficiency
For Machado, any energy partnership must benefit "Venezuelans, the United States, companies, investors, markets, and workers" and be developed under "the non-negotiable principles of absolute transparency, legality, and efficiency."
The leader argued that Venezuela needs to attract long-term, sustained capital and investment under a framework of profitability, certainty, and security, accompanied by a real reduction in country risk.
"The key question is how to do it, and the answer is a solid, mutually beneficial partnership—as I have always said, a win-win situation," she stated.
Support from Congressman Carlos Giménez
"I unequivocally support Venezuela's true leader, @MariaCorinaYA; her words are, as always, masterful," Giménez wrote on his X account.
The congressman added: "The only way we will achieve a prosperous Venezuela is through the end of the murderous regime and the return of democracy."
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The five pillars of the energy plan
Machado recalled that last March, during CERAWeek in Houston, she presented an energy plan built on five fundamental pillars.
The first is a transparent legal framework, with rules publicly approved by a legitimate National Assembly, "not by decree or behind closed doors."
The second is a technical institutional framework, through an independent Venezuelan hydrocarbons agency. The goal, she explained, is for the state to cease being "both judge and party, operator and regulator" and instead become "a serious regulator."
The third pillar involves public and open bidding processes, with clear rules published in advance and transparent results, "no hand-picked awards, everything in full view of the public, no favors, only merit."
The fourth pillar is a competitive and stable tax regime, capable of attracting billions of dollars in investment while also guaranteeing fair revenues for Venezuela when oil prices rise.
The fifth pillar provides for legal certainty and international arbitration, with strict respect for contracts and submission to international arbitration.
According to Machado, this framework would generate "the incentives and guarantees essential for ensuring that investments are substantial and long-lasting."
The leader maintained that Venezuela's reconstruction also requires transformations in education, technology, public safety, and financial infrastructure.
"We Venezuelans know that development is impossible without strong institutions and without a government elected by popular vote," she stated.
"Venezuela is worth much more than its oil"
Finally, she championed the vote as the path to restoring popular sovereignty and moving toward the country's reconstruction.
"The only way to achieve this is to assert popular sovereignty through the ballot box, because that is the only dignified form of government that exists," she maintained.
Machado concluded her message by emphasizing Venezuela's value beyond its natural resources: "Venezuela is worth much more than its oil; the true value of Venezuela is its people, who are, by nature, the best partners on the planet, and who will never sell out our freedom and that of our country."
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