Maduro: Kamla 'Handed Over' T&T
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of effectively ceding T&T territory to the United States after the announcement of joint exercises with the US 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. The Prime Minister rejected the claim, saying the US ships are in international waters and pointing to her previously stated position on Venezuela.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday accused Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of "mortgaging" her country's seas and territory after joint exercises were announced between the T&T Defence Force and the US 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. Speaking on a Venezuelan television programme, Maduro said he had seen local media reports suggesting Defence Force officials had not been briefed on the exercises and claimed the Prime Minister had "handed over" T&T territory.
He questioned whether a prime minister could "so freely concede her country’s territory and seas to threaten a neighbouring country," adding that Persad-Bissessar would "fare very badly for these false steps she is taking against the peace of her country and the region." The exchange follows renewed regional sensitivity over US military activity in the Caribbean and northern South America.
Maduro has previously criticised Persad-Bissessar for welcoming US forces to the region and for military actions he says have had lethal consequences; the original report referenced boat strikes that have resulted in at least 82 deaths. Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar rejected Maduro’s charge in an interview with TV6, saying: "Maduro needs to speak to (US President Donald) Trump.
Those are Trump’s warships in international waters. I have already made clear Trinidad and Tobago’s position as it relates to Venezuela." In August the Prime Minister said the government would offer US forces access to T&T territory in the event of an attack on Guyana by Venezuela.
Foreign Minister Sean Sobers also weighed in, insisting the US joint exercise "had nothing to do with Venezuela" and that Trinidad and Tobago would not be used as a launching pad for any attack against its neighbour. Why this matters to the BVI: The British Virgin Islands sits in a region where shifts in naval deployments, military cooperation and diplomatic tensions can have practical consequences for maritime security, law enforcement and tourism.
US naval activity aimed at countering drug trafficking or protecting regional partners can affect shipping lanes and search-and-rescue coordination. Escalating rhetoric between Caracas and neighbouring states also risks creating uncertainty that could concern visitors and investors.
Local authorities in the BVI and the wider region will be watching for clarifications from Trinidad and Tobago and the US on the scope and location of the exercises, and for any official communication from regional security bodies. For residents, the immediate impact is likely to be limited, but the episode underscores the importance of transparent briefings by governments when foreign forces operate in nearby waters.
Primary source: VINO