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Even as Prime Min­is­ter Kam­la Per­sad-Bisses­sar firm­ly stat­ed that Trinidad and To­ba­go will not be used as a launch­pad for at­tacks against Venezuela, one in­ter­na­tion­al re­la­tions ex­pert has ques­tioned the tim­ing of joint mil­i­tary train­ing ex­er­cis­es.

Dr An­tho­ny Gon­za­les ac­knowl­edged Per­sad-Bisses­sar’s 10-point re­but­tal of for­mer prime min­is­ter Dr Kei­th Row­ley’s cri­tique. Row­ley had ac­cused her of aban­don­ing T&T’s long-stand­ing stance of neu­tral­i­ty, plac­ing the coun­try in the line of fire amid ris­ing US–Venezuela ten­sions.

“The US has NEV­ER re­quest­ed use of our ter­ri­to­ry to launch any at­tacks against the peo­ple of Venezuela. Trinidad and To­ba­go ter­ri­to­ry will NOT be used to launch any at­tacks against the peo­ple of Venezuela. Trinidad and To­ba­go is a sov­er­eign state and does not blind­ly fol­low the US or any bloc such as Cari­com,” Per­sad-Bisses­sar said.