Caption: Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar meets with US Joint Chief of Staff General Dan Caine at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s
By Alicia Chamely
PRIME Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is reaffirming Trinidad & Tobago’s position as a global ally in the United States’ effort to secure the region against the harmful effects of the drug trade, human trafficking and transnational crime.
Her reassurance of US support comes after a meeting with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s on Tuesday to discuss key priorities of regional security and safety.
Caine also had a taste of the local delicacy doubles.
Caine, the highest-ranking officer in the US military and military advisor to US President Donald Trump, arrived in Trinidad one day after meeting with members of the US Military’s Southern Command at a military base in Puerto Rico.
A release by the Office of the Prime Minister on Tuesday afternoon stated that during the meeting the prime minister “expressed her government’s continued commitment to working to ensure that the harmful effects of narcotrafficking, human trafficking and transnational crime were eradicated for the benefit of our citizens, country, and region.”
Describing the collaborations between the US and T&T as an “instrumental partnership to protect our region,” the Prime Minister expressed her gratitude for the “existing cooperation between both nations as they have been built on decades of diplomacy & mutual benefit as global allies.”
In a statement by the US Embassy of Trinidad and Tobago’s stated, “General Caine and Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar exchanged views on challenges affecting the Caribbean region, including the destabilizing effects of illicit narcotics, arms, and human trafficking, and transnational criminal organisation activities.”
“The Chairman emphasised that close cooperation between the United States and Trinidad and Tobago directly contributes to safeguarding regional security,” the statement continued.
The Embassy stated that General Caine expressed his appreciation for the cooperation and partnership with T&T in “advancing mutual objectives and reaffirmed that the United States remains committed to working closely with Trinidad and Tobago to address shared threats and deepen collaboration across the Caribbean.”
On X, Persad-Bissessar said, “When Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said he’d heard about Trinidad and Tobago’s famous ‘doubles,’ I happily made sure he got to enjoy the taste for himself during his visit today.”
General Caine’s arrival was announced on Monday. His visit comes just one day after the US State Department formally designated Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his government as a foreign terrorist organization.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had long expressed her support for the US military’s operation Southern Spear, aimed at dismantling and combating drug trafficking networks in the Western Hemisphere.
Despite criticism from other CARICOM leaders, who called for the Caribbean to be a “Zone of Peace,” Persad-Bissessar stated T&T, due to its proximity to Venezuela and South America, had been most affected by the social and economic destruction brought on by the narcotics and ammunition trade.
Persad-Bissessar, responding to a statement made by former Dr Keith Rowely, who accused the prime minister of making T&T a target, assured the public T&T would serve as “launch pad” in any attack against Venezuela.
