Celestino Armas ( Barcelona, Anzoátegui, 15 December 1935 – 16 January 2011 PetroFinanzas, 17 January 2011
Falleció el exministro Celestino Armas
retrieved 24 May 2012), was a

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n engineer and politician.

Biography

He obtained a degree in engineering from the

Central University of Venezuela The Central University of Venezuela (Spanish: ''Universidad Central de Venezuela''; UCV) is a public university of Venezuela located in Caracas. It is widely held to be the highest ranking institution in the country, and it also ranks 18th in L ...

, and a postgraduate degree from the Colorado School of Mines. Before joining as an active member of AD, he was working in the Guayana iron mines, as an official of the then Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons. He held the Information and Tourism Ministry (1978-1979) in the

First Presidency of Carlos Andrés Pérez The first presidency of Carlos Andrés Pérez (from 1974 to 1979) coincided with the oil boom of 1974, which saw Venezuela's economy prosper. Carlos Andrés Pérez launched a program of rapid modernization. His first presidency also saw the nationa ...

and playing a key role in the 1976 nationalization of the iron and oil industry. In the months leading up to the Oil Reversal, his party moved him to play the sensitive position of the chair of the Permanent Energy and Mines Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, which was the center of public debate and drafting of the law to nationalize the Petroleum. Before 30 August 1975, which was the creation of Petróleos de Venezuela, two years of continuous debate took place on a transcendental issue, involving all political parties and influential sectors of national public life, of various shades. Some aspired to "throw out the companies and pay them nothing, and others who opposed nationalization." In that interregnum the balance and the good sense of Armas, was a very important ingredient. Because the oil concessions were extinguished in 1983, the national government to comply with the legal rules of the date advance, ordered the payment of compensation.

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called oil nationalization a "model." In the

second presidency of Carlos Andrés Pérez The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds eac ...

as Minister for Energy and Mines (1989 – 1992)Youssef M Ibrahim, ''

'', 5 June 1991
Iraqi Plea on Exports Rejected at OPEC Talks
/ref> had a leading role in the first process of the so-called Opening of the Venezuelan oil industry, directing the first round of Operational Agreements in 1991. He was elected President of

OPEC The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC, ) is a cartel of countries. Founded on 14 September 1960 in Baghdad by the first five members (Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela), it has, since 1965, been headquart ...

in June 1991. He repeatedly occupied, albeit on an interim basis, Treasury Ministry and Health and Social Assistance Ministry. In the last months of the constitutional period he served as Secretary of the Presidency. In the academic sphere, he was a member of the Superior Council of the Simón Bolívar University. Already retired, she was founder of the Institute of Mining and Petroleum (IPEMIN), along with other important Venezuelan professionals, being president of this institution.

References

1935 births People from Barcelona, Venezuela Central University of Venezuela alumni Colorado School of Mines alumni Democratic Action (Venezuela) politicians Members of the Venezuelan Chamber of Deputies 2011 deaths Tourism ministers of Venezuela Energy ministers of Venezuela Information ministers of Venezuela Secretariat of the Presidency ministers of Venezuela {{Venezuela-politician-stub