JAKARTA - The government of Trinidad and Tobago said on Monday that it would allow the US military to access their airport in the coming weeks, amid rising tensions between the US and Venezuela.
The announcement comes after the US military recently installed a radar system at Tobago airport. The Caribbean country's government said the radar was used to combat local crime, and the country would not be used as a base to attack other countries.
"The United States will use the airport for activities that are 'logistical, facilitating the replenishment of supplies and the rotation of routine personnel'," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago said in a statement, without providing further details, reported Al Arabiya from Reuters (16/12).
The country's prime minister has previously praised ongoing US raids on vessels suspected of carrying drugs in the Caribbean.
It is known that Venezuela is only about 7 miles or 11 kilometers in its closest point to Trinidad and Tobago.
Trinidad and Tobago has two major airports, Piarco International Airport in Trinidad and ANR Robinson International Airport in Tobago.
Hours after the announcement, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said her country was immediately canceling any contracts, agreements, or negotiations to supply natural gas to Trinidad and Tobago.
He claimed the Government of Trinidad and Tobago participated in the seizure of an oil tanker by the US recently off the coast of the country, calling it a "piracy act."
He also accused the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, of having a "hostile agenda" against Venezuela, noting that the US military had installed an airport radar in Tobago.
"This official has turned the territory of Trinidad and Tobago into a US aircraft carrier to attack Venezuela, in an act of undeniable subjugation," said Rodríguez.
The Prime Minister's Office of Trinidad did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Previously, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela had reached an agreement on the development of a gas field in Venezuelan waters, near the maritime border separating the two countries.
In December 2023, Venezuela granted licenses to oil giant Shell and Trinidad and Tobago to produce gas from the field.
In October, the US government gave Trinidad and Tobago permission to negotiate a gas deal without facing US sanctions imposed on Venezuela.
Amery Browne, an opposition senator and former foreign minister of Trinidad and Tobago, accused the Trinidad government on Monday of fraud in its announcement.
Browne said Trinidad and Tobago had become "a facilitator involved in extrajudicial killings, cross-border tensions and hostilities."
"Nothing is routine in this matter. This has nothing to do with the cooperation and collaboration of friendship that we have enjoyed with the US and all our neighboring countries for decades," he explained.
He said the "full-fledged" permission with the US brought the country "one step closer to a satellite state" and that it adhered to the philosophy of "strength is truth".
English:
The American offensive began in September and has killed more than 80 people as Washington has deployed a fleet of warships near Venezuela, including the largest US aircraft carrier.
In October, an American warship docked in Trinidad's capital, Port-of-Spain, as the administration of US President Donald Trump increased military pressure on Venezuela and President Nicolás Maduro.
Members of the US Congress have questioned the legality of the attacks on ships in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific Ocean, and recently announced that there would be a congressional review of the attacks.
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