Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. AFP Photo
By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE Venezuelan government is warning Trinidad and Tobago not to play any geopolitical games, maintaining that Trinidad and Tobago criminals have been caught on Venezuelan ground.
The Venezuelan government issued a press release on Friday expressing surprise at Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s strong statements made on Thursday at her post-Cabinet media conference when she said this country was off limits to any infiltration of Venezuelan authorities looking for such potential criminals.
The release was shared on the Embassy of Venezuela to Trinidad’s Facebook page.
The release stated, “Venezuela urges the authorities of Trinidad and Tobago not to engage in geopolitical games that are alien to the interests of our peoples and reaffirms its commitment to peace, sovereignty and mutual respect recalling that any legitimate concern must be channeled through diplomatic channels not through threats or unfounded statements that only fuel artificial tensions.”
The Venezuelan government stated that Trinidad and Tobago should face facts.
According to Venezuela, the facts were, “Venezuela has captured criminals of Trinidad origin who have confessed their plans, statements that have been duly supported with compelling evidence presented by the competent authorities.”
The release stated, “The appropriate thing to do in the face of this serious situation is to offer cooperation and willingness to clarify the facts. The Prime Minister’s virulent and high-sounding attitude raises serious suspicions of complicity with this incursion and compromises the good relations of cooperation that exist between our countries fundamental areas.”
Young warns to thread carefully
Former prime minister and energy minister Stuart Young also advised government to be careful with public statements as Venezuela was Trinidad and Tobago’s closest geographical neighbour.
In a Facebook post he wrote, “It is the height of irresponsibility and arguably, borderline insanity, for our government led by none other than the Prime Minister Mrs Kamla Persad Bissessar, to declare a use of deadly force policy on any unidentified vessel entering Trinidad and Tobago’s waters from Venezuela.”
Young said the radar system failed to identify marine vessels entering and leaving local waters and to conclusively determine whether a vessel left Trinidad and Tobago destined for Venezuela with persons onboard was simply not true.
He stated, “I call upon the government to engage in proper diplomatic communications with Venezuela and to appreciate that as the government you have to act responsibly and judiciously. Carrying on with false bravado associated with soap box politics is not only unbecoming but frankly dangerous in the circumstances.”
Young also said that the country’s future financial stability and energy security were directly tied to Venezuela as the largest gas project currently being undertaken is Manatee which is actually a cross border field with Venezuela, Loran-Manatee.
“What happens if Venezuela decides now to cancel this arrangement? It would lead to financial disaster for Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.
Young ended the post with, “This government needs to wake up and stop jeopardizing our future and our country’s reputation. I pray for Trinidad and Tobago.”
Young’s predecessor Dr Keith Rowley had expressed similar statements on Thursday night.
At the post Cabinet media conference both Persad-Bissessar and Defence Minister Wayne Sturge spoke about the allegations made earlier this week.
While investigations were ongoing, to date, they have found no evidence to support Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s claims that a paramilitary group entered Venezuela from Trinidad and Tobago.
Maduro’s claim was further substantiated by Venezuela’s Justice Minister Diosdado Cabello who alleged that a Trinidadian national had been captured among the group.
Stephen Monohar Kangal
June 7, 2025Political Unpatriotic Opportunism, Yeng Yeng Yeng and a Partisan Media Coverage on Venezuelan Allegations.
What did real diplomacy (a two- way street) require of Venezuela’s Maduro on an “impasse” involving a suspected group of unconfirmed “terrorists” of alleged “Trinidad origin” /Colombian nationals?
1. Diplomacy required Venezuela to call the T&T Ambassador in Caracas, show the alleged compelling evidence and lodge a complaint.
2. It also required the Venezuelan Ambassador to seek an urgent meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Sobers, reveal the alleged compelling evidence available to them and lodge a complaint.
No! Maduro ignored bilateral diplomatic channels, blew the issue out of proportion and issued threats to T&T’s sovereignty against which the PMTT sought to defend in her post-Cabinet statement.
She did not utter anything than what was not in line with the legitimate exercise and defense of T&T’s sovereignty and political independence. She was right on all counts but those who mortgaged T&T for an elusive Dragon Gas deal paying with our FOREX for gas that we never got spring into action.
T&T indicated that it had no evidence of the allegations made by Maduro from its surveillance systems/ T&T Coast Guard/ CDS and sought to defend the integrity of its maritime jurisdiction within its borders. That system can see and capture images from way into the Orinoco River basin.
It was very obvious that both parties had to use diplomatic channels and existing military arrangements of co-operation to undertake verification of Maduro’s claims in view of the several uncertainties prevailing.
But no the three political opportunists who were rejected, if not humiliated, on April 28 sought to gain cheap and vulgar unpatriotic political capital with their focus on what T&T should do and not Venezuela i.e., diplomacy from a pariah lawless state.
Do you all remember double standard Rowley lambasting the American Ambassador Mondello in the House when he should have used civilised diplomatic channels instead?
Do you all remember erratic “rottweilarian/ nowherian” Rowley lambasting the British Government at a PNM Meeting when the latter imposed a visa system for T&T nationals recently?
Did Rowley, Young and Restless and Browne call for Venezuela to utilize bilateral problem addressing diplomatic channels as well. No! Their purpose was to unpatriotically denigrate the GORTT to impress Maduro with the shameless TV6 as an accessory to this imbalanced reporting showcasing three PNM rejects’ opinions without seeking a comment from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or knowledgeable experts at the IR Institute in St A.
I hope that the national community will appreciate that these rejects will sell T&T to Maduro to resurrect their aborted political careers.