Young: TT recognises Maduro

COMMUNICATIONS Minister Stuart Young says the TT Government recognises Nicolas Maduro as the President of Venezuela.

He was speaking yesterday at the post-Cabinet media conference held at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó recently announced himself as interim President and the US, the European Union, and a number of South American countries, including Brazil, Colombia and Peru, have recognised him as Venezuela’s legitimate President. His announcement comes after the controversial inauguration of Maduro which the US, the majority of the regional bloc the Lima group and other countries have refused to recognise.

Young said Venezuela has been very topical in the last 24 hours and he wanted to reiterate Government’s position, which has been the position from “day one,” is that in matters of foreign policy TT will not intervene nor interfere in the affairs of sovereign states and this has been the consistent policy on Venezuela. He said this policy was carefully thought out and, generally speaking, Caricom’s position on foreign policy was also one of non-intervention and non-interference.

“This does not mean that we as a Government are not concerned about what is going on in Venezuela.”

He said with Venezuela being seven miles off the coast of Trinidad, what happened there “(is) bound to affect us in TT.”

Young said TT abstained in an Organisation of American States vote not to recognise the legitimacy of Maduro’s presidency. He said TT has been lobbied to participate in interventions against Venezuela but has retained the non-interference stance.

Young was asked whether the attendance of Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dennis Moses at Maduro’s inauguration was not a show of support for the Maduro government.

He responded: “I think his attendance was a show of support at his inauguration. I will not bury my head in the sand and pretend it is anything otherwise.”

Asked who the TT Government recognised as President of Venezuela, Young responded: “President Maduro.”

He also commented on Guyana’s dispute with Venezuela and said the Government was not in a position to adjudicate on that matter but at the Caricom level Government supported proper process and procedure. He said this Government will not play any interventionist role and the Venezuelan people will decide.

Young said Government encouraged dialogue in Venezuela, for the country to work out its differences and TT was prepared to act as mediator. He said the Prime Minister had spoken about this country being a mediator during meetings with then outgoing Chilean president Michelle Bachelet and with other national leaders about resolving the issue in Venezuela.

In a release, it was reported that yesterday Caricom heads of Government met via video-conference in a special emergency meeting to address the ongoing situation in Venezuela and Rowley and Moses were in attendance. The outcome of the meeting was not given.