Trinidad and Tobago’s Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers has vigorously defended Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar against allegations of inadequate leadership following the dramatic capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Speaking at a press conference at UNC headquarters in Chaguanas on January 4, Sobers asserted the Prime Minister remains fully engaged and in control of the situation despite her absence from public addresses.
The minister confirmed that US military forces executed a precision operation in Caracas at approximately 2:00 AM on January 3, extracting Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores to face trial in New York on multiple criminal charges including narcotics trafficking. The mission reportedly involved Delta Force operatives and was months in planning with CIA coordination.
Sobers emphasized Trinidad and Tobago’s non-involvement in the extraction operation while reaffirming the nation’s continued support for the Venezuelan people during this transitional period. He dismissed suggestions that Venezuela considers Trinidad complicit in Maduro’s removal, stating diplomatic relations remain intact and all Trinidadian citizens in Venezuela have been accounted for.
The minister highlighted strengthened US-Trinidad security cooperation, referencing November meetings between Persad-Bissessar and US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, joint military exercises with US Marines, and the installation of anti-narcotics radar systems at ANR Robinson International Airport. Sobers credited these collaborations with significantly reducing crime rates through combined US intervention and the Prime Minister’s strategic vision.
Addressing concerns about transparency, Sobers maintained the government handles the evolving Venezuela situation with necessary discretion through the National Security Council, which the Prime Minister chairs. He defended the administration’s diplomatic approach to US-Venezuela tensions and dismissed criticisms about the press conference location at party headquarters rather than government facilities.