Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has said that her country will not be “held to ransom” as she accused some Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries of siding with Venezuela over the ongoing security situation in the region.
“Caricom is proving to be unreliable partners in some regards. Some of our Caricom partners have chosen Venezuela over Trinidad and Tobago and that is something we need to remember,” Persad-Bissessar said, during a live interview on the Crime Watch programme with Ian Alleyne on Monday night.
But she told viewers that no regional government or organisation would “pressure or blackmail” her administration in its security efforts.
Earlier this month, the Guyana-based Caricom Secretariat said that regional leaders had discussed several issues on the regional agenda, including the security build-up in parts of the Caribbean and its potential impact on member states.
It said that the position at that meeting was not endorsed by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.
Last month, President Donald Trump ramped up United States (US) military presence in the Caribbean Sea ordering an amphibious squadron to the southern Caribbean as part of his effort to address threats from Latin American drug cartels.
A nuclear-powered attack submarine, additional P8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, several destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser have also been allocated to US Southern Command as part of the mission.
The United States military has carried out deadly airstrikes in Caribbean waters over the past few weeks against what Washington alleges are Caracas-backed drug traffickers. The Venezuelan Government denies the charge, accusing the administration of being a threat to the peace and security of the whole region.
Trinidad and Tobago has come out in full support for the US action, with Persad-Bissessar already indicating that the drug traffickers should be killed “violently”.
Responding to the announcement by the Venezuelan Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez, that Trinidad and Tobago has been colluding with Washington to destabilise the South American country, Persad-Bissessar said that this has never been the case.
On Monday, Rodríguez said she would recommend to President Nicolás Maduro that all energy agreements between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago be suspended, as the US Navy destroyer USS Gravely arrived in Trinidad last Sunday for joint training exercises.
Persad-Bissessar told viewers to the programme that her Government, which came to office on April 28 this year, has never engaged in any communication or negotiations with the Venezuelan authorities regarding energy matters and has not received any formal notice about suspending bilateral energy cooperation.
“And I will share with you, Ian, and I stand by my words, no one, whether it is Venezuela, Caricom, or any other entity, no one will pressure or blackmail my Government into retreating in the fight against drug cartels.
“We have no plans for Trinidad and Tobago to be used as a base for any attack on Venezuela. There has been no such request from the US Government,” she said, adding that while her administration stands in solidarity with the people of Venezuela, it will continue to support international efforts to combat narcotics trafficking, illegal firearms trade and human smuggling across the region.
Persad-Bissessar said that Trinidad and Tobago faces unique security challenges, including a spiralling murder rate and transnational criminal networks, insisting that “there is no zone of peace here” given the country’s crime situation.
She said that the Parliament will meet on October 31 to vote on the Government’s proposal to “extend” the current state of emergency, which was called on July 18 to deal with the crime situation and extended on July 28 by a further three months until late October.