Several diplomats, Members of Parliament, as well as Venezuelan, Ecuadorian, Cuban, Brazilian and Vincentian nationals gathered on Saturday at the Peace Memorial Hall to commemorate three years since the passing of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Chavez died on March 5th, 2013, at age 58, in Venezuela following his years of battle with cancer.
The event on Saturday was hosted by the Venezuelan Embassy and featured a presentation of the Oliver Stone documentary: ‘My Friend Hugo.’
In his remarks at the ceremony, His Excellency, Yuri Pimentel, Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to St. Vincent and the Grenadines said that under the leadership of President Chavez, poverty in Venezuela was reduced from 50% to less than 20%, and access to university education was made more readily available.
He also highlighted some of the programs Chavez implemented in a bid to promote peace, solidarity and cooperation in our region.
Meanwhile, Minister of Economic Planning and Sustainable Development, Camillio Gonsalves said Hugo Chavez was keenly interested in trying to alleviate the stresses and pressures of the poor, and was an advocate of integration.
Minister Gonsalves said Chavez was one of the few world leaders who transcended the boundaries of their own country, and “become known throughout the world as embodying a particular set of principles or a vision, or a world view that makes them significant enough for the entire world to take notice.”
