Caracas, January 3 (RHC)-- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says that the international sanctions applied by the United States and its allies against his country have caused multi-million dollar losses in 2018 in an effort to suffocate the Venezuelan economy.

"We have a fierce battle against international sanctions that have caused Venezuela to lose at least 20 billion dollars in 2018," said the Venezuelan leader.

Maduro went on to say that the blockade is meant to persecute the Venezuelan government and its people.  ”They hound us in the world over any product, it is more than a blockade, it is a persecution of the bank accounts, of the businesses that Venezuela has in the world."

The situation with the international company Euroclear is an example of this, said the Venezuelan president.  "This company held Venezuela hostage in 2018, 1.4 Billion of dollars we had already committed to buying medicines, supplies, to buy food and no one answers."

Meanwhile, the president stressed that Venezuela has repeatedly denounced this persecution in the United Nations and to the secretary of that body, as well as in several agencies, without getting specific answers.

The Venezuelan head of state also noted that since August 2018, the Recovery, Growth and Economic Prosperity Program has been carried out, the purpose of which is to stabilize the country's economy, control induced inflation and increase the country's production.