TEHRAN, January 24 (MNA) – Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday announced his support for the initiative by his counterparts in Argentina and Brazil to create a common currency for the South American region."Today, President Lula da Silva and President Alberto Fernandez announced that they will take steps to create a common currency for South America.

I announce that Venezuela is ready and we support the initiative to create a Latin American and Caribbean currency," Maduro said, according to the Tele Sur website.

Within the framework of the Great National March against the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Venezuela by the United States, the head of state welcomed the initiative and declared "independence, union and liberation of Latin America and the Caribbean." In addition, the Venezuelan leader sent a greeting "of union and liberation to the peoples" of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), who will meet this Tuesday in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for the 7th Summit of CELAC Earlier in the day, Presidents Fernández and Da Silva held a meeting in which they reaffirmed their commitment to Latin American integration and assured that they had made progress in discussions on a common South American currency "that can be used for both financial and trade flows, reducing operating costs and our external vulnerability." MNA/PR