The Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries wishes to clarify the status of its records concerning the ‘Authorization Agreement’ for the Fiscal Measurement of the Production of the Dragon Field between the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, following recent public statements regarding the execution of the Agreement in English and Spanish.
To date, no original executed agreements have been located within the Ministry’s records as it relates to the Dragon Field. Furthermore, no copies of English translated versions of any agreements as it relates to the Dragon Field exist in the Ministry’s records.
Inquiries with members of staff who were actively involved in the project when Agreements were executed in December 2023, did not result in the discovery of original executed agreements in either language, or even copies of finalised, executed versions in English. A further examination of the Ministry’s records identified a Cabinet Note dated January 2024, with a copy of the executed Fiscal Measurement Agreement in Spanish appended.
While this attachment provides a record of the signed executed Agreement in Spanish it does not resolve the absence of the original executed agreement or establish that an English-language version was also executed.
The Ministry’s clarification concerns the documentation available in its records and produced in response to inquiries with staff.
Maintaining a complete and accurate documentary record is essential to the administration of agreements of National importance. The Ministry remains committed to ensuring that the Dragon project is supported by verified documentation and to providing accurate information to the public.