By Prior Beharry
THE foreign policy of the United States of America is not meant to harm Trinidad and Tobago, according to Prime Minister Stuart Young at the post-Cabinet press conference on Thursday.
He discussed his meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jamaica on Thursday.
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Young said, “US foreign policy is in no way meant to affect or harm Trinidad and Tobago, particularly in what we are doing for energy security. There was a recognition that T&T’s role in energy security was not limited to our domestic situation. We had the need to discuss energy security not just domestically but throughout the region.”
The prime minister said he raised the issue of the Dragon gas field with Rubio on Wednesday.
The US has sanctioned Venezuela’s energy industry, requiring countries like T&T and multinational oil and gas companies to abide by US measures.
The gas field is located in Venezuelan waters, but Trinidad, along with Shell and the National Gas Company, plans to bring it to shore via Shell’s Hibiscus platform in Trinidad to monetize it. This follows a license by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), first granted in early 2023 and extended to October this year, for the exploration of the field, which has an estimated 4 trillion cubic feet of gas.
In early March, OFAC terminated Chevron’s license to operate in Venezuela but subsequently extended its time to wind down certain operations. On Monday, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order stating that any country buying oil or gas from Venezuela will pay a 25% tariff on trades with the US.
Young said he discussed T&T’s energy sector with Rubio. He informed Rubio that T&T supplies liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Chile and, in the mid-2000s, was the largest supplier to the eastern seaboard of the United States.
He noted that T&T is one of the top ammonia (fertilizer) suppliers in the world.
Young said, “I then took the discussions to the Dragon deal, our relationship with Venezuela, and emphasized the importance of it not only to T&T but also how it would affect the rest of the CARICOM region, due to the important role we play in supporting some of our CARICOM brother and sister nations throughout the region. That was accepted.”
He said, “I also took the opportunity, and this is a benefit of a respectful relationship. This is a benefit of what we built up over the past few years with the decision, because in the United States, when my predecessor and I have spoken to you, we speak to persons on both sides of the aisle. We remain engaged with whoever is the government in the United States.
“Yesterday was a good day for T&T because that really came out.
“So, I was able to then get into some level of granular detail and discuss with the Secretary of State, who is one of the main people charged with determining the policy to deal with Venezuela, particularly regarding energy going forward, exactly how this transaction is structured. The work that we have already done with Shell to make it a reality and the effects it will have, particularly on the rest of the region.
“I was happy that in that conversation, Secretary of State Rubio indicated he was pleased with this information because he was getting it firsthand, and he understood.”
Young said that Shell continues full speed ahead.
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“We are proceeding… we now have that direct channel of communication to one of the decision-makers. He welcomed it and said, ‘Prime Minister, we have to continue this.’ There was a lot of very friendly banter that was encouraging, and I think they recognized the stability that we provide and they want to see a continuity of that.”
Asked by AZP News if he will discuss the matter with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Young said, “I remain engaged with the Venezuelan government at a very high level, and that conversation does not stop.
“At this stage, there is nothing in particular for me to speak to him about.”
