Outside the Spanish consulate in Caracas, citizens with dual nationality expressed concern at the possibility that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro might break “all” relations with Spain, following the growing tensions between the two countries.
“This breakup could make many things difficult for us. I don’t think this is a good decision,” he told the Voice of America Sofia Villegas, a 23-year-old university student, was near the venue waiting to pick up her passport.
In his case, he fears that his agreements for studying or working will be suspended.
“Let all representatives of the delegation of the government of the Kingdom of Spain and all consulates and all consuls leave here and we will bring our own people from there!” cried the head of the Venezuelan Parliament, Jorge Rodríguez, who proposed breaking ties with Spain.
This proposal comes after questions from Madrid about the re-election of the Venezuelan president, denounced as a fraud by the opposition led by María Corina Machado and Edmundo González.
“Let flights from Spain to and from Venezuela on Spanish airlines cease” and “let all commercial activities of Spanish companies cease immediately!” added the Chavista official.
Doris Rodríguez, a Spanish-Venezuelan, said that “citizens will be the ones most affected” if the plan is implemented.
“This interferes with many of our plans, projects, travelling to Spain (…) This type of action should not be (…) this is not how a government should act,” he continued, after assuring that if the measure were to be implemented it would be “arbitrary.”
Some 137,000 Spaniards live in Venezuela, according to a report by the Spanish Statistical Institute that was published in 2023.
Spain is the third destination for Venezuelan exports, according to the report from the Spanish Institute of Foreign Trade (ICEX)published in March 2024.
Repsol
Last May, the Spanish oil company Repsol received an individual license from the United States to operate in Venezuela.
The then president of the state-owned PDVSA, Pedro Tellechea, was optimistic that Venezuelan oil production would reach one million barrels this year, boosted by the operation with Repsol. At that time, according to Tellechea, it reached 924,000 barrels per day (bpd).
Oil is the main material that Venezuela sends to Spain, with 88.6% of total exports, according to ICEX.
Trade
Trade relations between Spain and Venezuela are limited, with exports amounting to 146 million euros in 2023, compared to imports amounting to 619 million euros, which are practically limited to the oil imported by Repsol, according to the Spanish Institute of Commerce.
Among the main products that Caracas sells to Madrid, after oil, are shrimp (5.5%), semi-finished aluminum (2%), and rum (1.2%).
Spanish companies present
According to data from ICEX, published by Spanish media, there are 21 companies of Spanish origin in Venezuela.
These include the oil company Repsol, the textile company Inditex, which operates through a franchise; there is also Telefónica, BBVA in the banking sector, Iberia and Air Europa in the airline sector, the hotels Hesperia and Meliá, and the insurance company Mapfre.
The Maduro government does not publish data regularly.
“We will try to protect the interests of our companies. As far as I know, there has been no concrete measure and that is why we are sending a message of reassurance,” said the Spanish Minister of Economy, who wanted to reassure businessmen in the face of this new situation.
Air connection
If Rodriguez’s proposal is implemented, Venezuela’s already limited air connectivity would face another blow.
“Spain, along with Colombia, is the country with the most air connections with Venezuela,” through two Venezuelan airlines and three Spanish ones, wrote Venezuelan aeronautical lawyer Rodolfo Ruiz on the social network X.
The measure would affect several airlines that operate between both countries, such as Estelar, Plus Ultra, Iberia, Turkish Airlines, TAP Air Portugal and Conviasa, among others.
Already in July Caracas suspended flights to and from Panama, the Dominican Republic and PeruThe decision reduced the number of weekly flights by 95, according to the Venezuelan Airline Association.
Prices for other tickets for available routes have skyrocketed.
Appearance
This Friday, the Spanish ambassador in Caracas, Ramón Santos Martínez, was summoned to the headquarters of the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in response to statements by Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles, who called Maduro’s government a “dictatorship.”
In a statement released on Thursday evening, Foreign Minister Yván Gil also announced the decision to “recall for consultation” his ambassador in Madrid, Gladys Gutiérrez.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares did not imitate his Venezuelan counterpart’s calls for consultations, describing them as “sovereign decisions.”
“What I can tell you is that we are working to have the best possible relations with the brotherly people of Venezuela,” Albares added.
[Con datos de medios españoles y reporteros en Caracas]
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