Venezuela moves to suspend energy agreements with Trinidad and Tobago

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen English
Today 04:37

Venezuela responds to the recent joint military drills conducted by the US and Trinidad and Tobago and moves to suspend the recently renewed energy agreement with Port of Spain.

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Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez gives a press conference at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP)

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez announced that the Ministry of People’s Power for Petroleum and the National Oil Company had submitted a proposal to President Nicolás Maduro recommending the immediate suspension of the energy cooperation framework agreement with the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

In an official statement, Rodríguez detailed that the agreement, signed in 2015 for a 10-year period, was automatically renewed last February for an additional five years. She noted that Article 13, paragraph 3, grants either party the right to withdraw from the agreement.

The Venezuelan official added that the proposal also includes suspending all existing gas agreements between the two countries.

Rodríguez pointed out that the new prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago had decided to align with the United States’ military agenda, denouncing this move as “an act of aggression against a sister nation in the Caribbean region and a surprising threat to Venezuela, Colombia, and South America.”

“It is truly astonishing,” she added, “that the Prime Minister chose to believe Washington’s false promises that it could invade Venezuela, seize its gas, and deliver it elsewhere.” Rodríguez stressed that the only path toward regional development lies in energy cooperation, not aggression.

Caracas slams 'military provocation' by US, Trinidad and Tobago drills

The Venezuelan government on Sunday strongly condemned ongoing military exercises conducted by Trinidad and Tobago in coordination with the US Southern Command and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as a dangerous provocation designed to escalate tensions in the Caribbean and threaten Venezuela’s national sovereignty.

In a statement, Caracas warned that these operations represent not defensive exercises, as claimed by Washington, but rather a direct attempt to militarize the region and spark confrontation.

Venezuela further stressed that the joint military activities are part of a broader plot involving a false-flag operation. According to the government’s statement, “a false flag attack is underway in waters bordering Trinidad and Tobago or from Trinidadian or Venezuelan territory to generate a full military confrontation with our country.”

The Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs also criticized the government of Trinidad and Tobago for compromising its independence by aligning militarily with the US. It stated that this move amounts to a “clear concession of national sovereignty,” and accused Port of Spain of acting as a "military colony serving US interests."