Trinidad and Tobago will provide strategic space to protect its “CARICOM brothers and sisters” if Venezuela takes action against Guyana.
This assurance came from Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who was responding to questions from reporters on the possibility of Venezuelan aggression toward Guyana. Her comments followed a meeting with Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell on Friday.
She stated: “Should Venezuela move against Guyana, it is then that we will offer any space here to protect our CARICOM neighbour, brothers and sisters.”
The Prime Minister also responded to questions about Trinidad and Tobago’s alliances, particularly with the United States.
“We are in alliance with anyone, anywhere, who will help us fight drugs, crime, guns, criminals. We are in alliance with any such countries and persons anywhere in the world.”
Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar confirmed that Trinidad and Tobago has not been in any discussions with the United States regarding the use of the country’s territorial waters or soil.
“Again, I repeat, we have no evidence of the allegations being made. And further, we have no discussions of the US actually being deployed on Trinidad and Tobago’s soil. If they know otherwise or if they say there is war, share the evidence. Because at the moment, it’s just rhetoric. It’s just rhetoric, what Cuba is saying, what Venezuela is saying. Give us the evidence.”
The Prime Minister was responding to claims from Venezuela and Cuba’s Ambassadors, who suggested that sending US ships to Venezuela is a move to destabilise that country.
“That is not for me to determine. This is a sovereign nation. They are going into international waters as far as our knowledge is. It is not for me to judge what is good or not bad. Trinidad and Tobago, apart from World War II, we have never been engaged in any war. So I cannot assess what they want to do or not do. They will be not on our soil, they will be in international waters. I want to make that very clear again.”
Following reports that Cuba recently claimed the US is turning Caribbean waters into a war zone, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar dismissed those allegations.
“I have no such knowledge. If Cuba knows something, maybe they should share it with you. I have no such discussions, no such information, and no evidence with respect to that.”