The Opposition Leader and Leader of the New National Party Dr Keith Mitchell wishes to congratulate President Hugo Chavez on his re-election as President of Venezuela.

President Chavez has proven to be a friend to Grenada and the region in more than a decade in office, and we expect that those close ties will continue, and even strengthened further, in this new term.

Grenada and Venezuela have historic deep ties which go back since our independence in 1974.

Those ties were deepened even further under the New National Party government when President Chavez had first come into office.

The assistance Venezuela provided in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan in 2004 will long be remembered by all Grenadians.

Also, the ongoing assistance provided through the Petro Caribe arrangement that was negotiated by the New National Party government, continues to be a lifeline.

We note with regret the neglect of the current government to maintaining the historic ties, by its failure to post an Ambassador in Caracas for more than a year.

Should we be returned to office, a New National Party government will once again upgrade its Embassy in Caracas, sending a resident ambassador to that important capital.

We believe maintaining and building our relationship with Venezuela, one of our closest neighbors, is an important pillar of Grenadian foreign policy.