Opposition leader Pennelope Beckles said she was not surprised by the Venezuelan government’s announcement of its suspension of gas agreements with Trinidad and Tobago. She urged Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to temper her language in relation to the matter as well as to maintain Caricom ties.

On October 27, Venezuela VP Delcy Rodriguez said a proposal was submitted to President Nicolas Maduro for the gas arrangements with TT to be suspended. She condemned Persad-Bissessar for saying all drug traffickers should be killed violently, after a US missile strike killed Venezuelans in a pirogue on September 2 in international waters off the mainland.

Last week, Rodriguez said TT's economy would collapse without Venezuelan gas as she warned of attempts by the US to take control of the country's natural resources.