MINISTER of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Senator Kamina Johnson Smith says the Government of Jamaica is providing humanitarian assistance to the people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, following the devastating earthquakes which have resulted in loss of life, injuries, displacement and damage to communities.

“Although Jamaica is still in its recovery and rebuilding stage, we have not forgotten the hand of friendship extended to us by Venezuela in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. That support reached us at a difficult hour, and we are moved by the same spirit of friendship and regional solidarity as Venezuela now confronts this tragedy,” Johnson Smith said Tuesday.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, Johnson Smith said Venezuela was among the countries that extended support to Jamaica, providing mattresses, sheets, hygiene kits and medical supplies for distribution as part of the country’s emergency response and early recovery efforts.