Thank you, Chair.
Thanks to Mr. Lopez and Ms. Portela for providing their testimony today.
My first question is to both of you in regard to the effectiveness of sanctions.
What measures are used to test the effectiveness of sanctions? For example, the intent of sanctions, at least in part, is to influence a change in behaviour on the part of the targeted state. If this change does indeed take place, how can we be sure that it was due to the sanctions and not other factors such as a leadership struggle, popular unrest, an empowered opposition, or capital flight in response to popular unrest?
Ms. Portela, you can start, and Mr. Lopez can also provide his input.