Venezuela Warns Trinidad and Tobago Against Cooperating with the United States
According to the English section of webangah News Agency, citing Mehr News Agency and the Associated Press, Venezuela’s Vice President and Minister of Petroleum, Delcy Rodríguez, said in a televised speech that trinidad’s Prime Minister has chosen to align with Washington’s warlike agenda.
She added that she would ask President Nicolás Maduro to withdraw from the 2015 bilateral agreement for joint exploration of natural gas reserves in their shared maritime boundary. The two countries are separated by only a narrow gulf about 11 kilometers wide.
In response, Trinidad and Tobago’s prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar told the Associated Press in a written statement that she is not concerned about possible cancellations. She emphasized that recent military exercises are solely focused on strengthening internal security.
She wrote: ”Our future is not dependent on Venezuela-and never has been. We continue pursuing our plans for economic growth across both energy and non-energy sectors.”
The decision from Caracas follows the arrival on Sunday of the US destroyer USS Gravely, armed with guided missiles, at a port in Trinidad. The vessel took part in joint naval exercises with local forces.
Tensions between Venezuela and the United States have escalated since last week when the Trump administration announced it was dispatching its largest aircraft carrier to southern Caribbean waters. This move aims to join a fleet including eight warships, one submarine, multiple drones, and fighters stationed in the region.
According to American sources, since September this year Washington has carried out ten attacks against vessels suspected of drug trafficking in these waters-resulting in at least 43 fatalities.
