Venezuela Seeks Release of Gold Reserves in UK for Earthquake Victims

“The gold belongs to our people…”

Istanbul (ANTARA) - Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said on Wednesday (8 July) that she would send a letter to King Charles III in England to secure the release of approximately 30 tonnes of the country’s gold reserves.

Rodríguez stated that the purpose of the request is to liquidate the gold, which has been frozen at the Bank of England due to British sanctions, in order to allocate funds to help the victims of the devastating earthquake in Venezuela.

In addition, she wants to use the funds to rebuild a number of regions affected by the earthquake on 24 June.

“The gold belongs to our people and must be used to address the terrible and tragic consequences caused by the twin earthquakes,” Rodríguez said, as reported by Venezuelan state television.

She also stressed the need to recover these assets so they can be allocated directly towards the social welfare of communities affected by the devastating twin earthquakes.

Earlier, Rodríguez held a telephone conversation with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, regarding the release of frozen Venezuelan assets.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), two earthquakes measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela on 24 June, just 39 seconds apart.

The twin earthquakes caused widespread damage and triggered a large-scale humanitarian response at both national and international levels.