T&T Has ‘No Part to Play’ in U.S. Venezuela Oil Blockade

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says Trinidad and Tobago “has no part to play” in the United States’ proposed blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers.

Her comments came after U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he was ordering a blockade to increase pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Trump alleged that Venezuela was using oil revenues to fund drug trafficking and other criminal activities and said the U.S. would continue its military buildup. Venezuela has denounced the move as “theft” and accused Washington of seeking to seize its natural resources.

Persad-Bissessar said Trinidad and Tobago’s partnership with the U.S. is focused on domestic security, noting that Washington has not asked for any assistance related to Venezuela. “I am about Trinidad and Tobago first,” she said. “It’s a sovereign state; they are free to pursue what’s in their best interest, and we will pursue what we see is in our best interest.”

She also pointed to recent crime reductions, noting 240 fewer murders than last year and over $200 million in drug seizures. “That is good news,” she said.

On Venezuela’s decision to cancel gas agreements, Persad-Bissessar said Trinidad and Tobago is not dependent on Venezuelan energy, adding that the country has expanded its own oilfields and continues to work with international energy companies. “If we could get their oil, we want it, but we do not need it,” she said. “We have had over 100 years of the oil and gas economy, and not one drop of oil has come from Venezuela.”

Maduro had earlier suspended gas agreements with Trinidad and Tobago in October, before announcing on Monday that all contracts and negotiations would be terminated.