Trinidad PM fires back at Venezuela VP: ‘I will not engage in a tit-for-tat’

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has declined to engage in a war of words with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who accused Trinidad and Tobago of being led “off a cliff” over the Dragon gas deal. Persad-Bissessar said she has had no official contact with Caracas and urged citizens to remain calm amid growing regional tension.

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Speaking at the National Cycling Velodrome in Couva on Thursday, Persad-Bissessar said she believed the country was “going uphill” and had no information about any potential conflict between the United States and Venezuela.

“I have no comments, I have no official communication from Ms Delcy or from the Venezuelan government and I will not comment on something we have no official communication about. I will not engage in a tit-for-tat. I am doing the best I can… to uplift Trinidad and Tobago,” she said.

Rodriguez, speaking a day earlier at an economic forum in Caracas, questioned the U.S. Treasury Department’s granting of an OFAC licence to Trinidad and Tobago to negotiate for Venezuelan gas, claiming that without it, T&T’s economy would collapse.

She accused Persad-Bissessar of misleading local businesses, saying, “The gas of Venezuela you must pay for, any molecule that is exported… you must pay. Everything else goes against nature, and it does not exist and you are being deceived.”

Persad-Bissessar dismissed speculation of regional unrest, saying: “I think there are some people who are fear mongering… be calm, if and when there is a war, we will let you know… My name is Kamla, be calm.”

The Dragon Gas deal, revived last month with U.S. support, had previously been stalled under sanctions that barred cash payments to Venezuela. Persad-Bissessar called its renewal a “big win” for Trinidad and Tobago and expressed willingness to visit Caracas for further talks.

Relations between the two nations have grown tense in recent months amid a U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean and several American strikes on alleged drug-running vessels. Rodriguez has accused Trinidad and Tobago of acting as a “vassal” of Washington and warned against allowing U.S. military access to its territory.

Despite the sharp words from Caracas, Persad-Bissessar maintained that her focus remains on stability and national progress — not political sparring.