Charles: Why did Rowley meet Venezuelan diplomat?

NAPARIMA MP Rodney Charles on Tuesday accused the Prime Minister of a diplomatic faux pas in recently meeting the Venezuelan ambassador to TT – a role which he said should have been delegated.

In a statement, he accused Dr Rowley of being “unfamiliar with the finer points of diplomacy.”

Charles said diplomatic meetings, all things being equal, are usually held among equals, with clear levels of what is deemed appropriate.

“It is for this reason that a US, or Chinese, or Russian president would not, for example, have a one-on-one meeting with an ambassador.”

Charles said the UN General Assembly has a clear pecking order of precedence where first are kings and crown princes, followed by presidents, then heads of governments, then foreign ministers and lastly ambassadors, with rare exceptions.

“So how in heaven's name could our PM as our head of State, and the next rotating chair of Caricom, convene a high-level meeting with a Venezuelan diplomat?”

Charles said the diplomat should instead have met Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dr Amery Browne.

“Let's face it. In the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry there must be a pecking order of diplomatic appointments.”