(Agencia Bolivariana de Noticias - ABN) - "ALBA expands its field of action and moves towards the integration of the peoples. Nicaragua and Venezuela review bilateral agreements in order to boost their relations.

The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, received on February 23, his Nicaraguan counterpart, Daniel Ortega, in order to evaluate cooperation agreements endorsed on January 11, 2007 within the framework of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA, Spanish acronym).

As President Daniel Ortega started his second term, Nicaragua joined the ALBA, initiative proposed by the Bolivian Government that also includes Cuba and Ecuador.

The first agreements were endorsed in Managua one day after the Sandinist leader took over as President of Nicaragua on January 10, 2007.

Seven countries have already joined the ALBA project, including Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda

President Ortega announced his visit to Venezuela on February 21, 2007, during the commemoration events of the 73rd Anniversary of the Nicaraguan hero Augusto César Sandino.

'I talked to President Chávez on the phone and we agreed on holding a meeting in Caracas because a Venezuelan delegation is coming to Managua in March to create a Joint Commission,' he explained.

This visit will help follow up the endorsed agreements. Likewise, Nicaragua and Venezuela are expected to sign agreements in the fields of energy, financing to small businesses, health, and training, among others.

In the energy field, Venezuela supplies the Central American country with oil under special payment conditions. This agreement was signed by ALBA Petróleos de Nicaragua (Albanic) and some mayors of the Sandinist Front of National Liberation (FSLN, Spanish acronym).

Caracas also provides Managua with 32 electricity plants so that Nicaragua could reduce its energy deficit.

In this sense, eight 2.3 megawatt electricity plants were successfully tested and incorporated into the Nicaraguan electrical system. The rest of the plants will be put into operation in March.

Venezuela is examining the possibility of building a refinery, an oil pipeline and two aluminum plants in Nicaragua. It will also support health programs.

Likewise, they have planned to open an office of The Economic and Social Development Bank (Bandes) in order to grant credits with an annual interest rate of 2% and two-year grace period for small companies in Nicaragua.

The relationship between Venezuela and Nicaragua, after Ortega's victory last November 5, has been increasing and creating solid cooperation mechanisms.

As he endorsed some agreements with the Argentinean President, the Venezuelan President expressed his confidence regarding the strengthening of the integration between Nicaragua and Venezuela.

'In this new phase, let's all work together on the same Project: The second independence of our countries,' he said.

Ortega announced that next March a Venezuelan delegation will arrive in Managua to form a commission that will be in charge of evaluating the cooperation agreements between both countries.

The strategic agreements endorsed between the Nicaraguan head of State and his counterparts from Bolivia, Cuba, Iran and Venezuela are considered as 'positive' by 59% of Nicaraguan people, according to an opinion poll issued by Cid Gallup firm.

The poll - conducted between February 6 and 11 among 1,239 people aged over 16 in urban sectors of the country - shows that only 18% of the people interviewed considered that the agreements were negative.

According to the poll, most of the population considers the alliance with Venezuela and Iran is advisable because Nicaragua is the second poorest country in Latin America (poverty reaches 64% of 5, 14 million people)".