As the two nations continue to be in conflict over US military activity in the Caribbean Sea, Venezuela has declared the country’s prime minister a persona non grata.
The Venezuelan National Assembly approved the sanctions against Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who has been embroiled in a contentious dispute with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, on Tuesday. She is barred from entering and is deemed unwelcome in the nation.
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Persad-Bissessar, who was asked about the possibility a day earlier, responded to the question, “Why would they think I would want to visit Venezuela?”
The two nations have recently been at odds with one another over US military activity in the area, which is separated by a small bay that is only 11 kilometers (7 miles) wide at its narrowest point).
One of the few Caribbean leaders to applaud the expansion of US military forces and the US’s bombing campaign against alleged drug traffickers is Persad-Bissessar.
Shortly after the first missile strike was made public on September 2, Persad-Bissessar said, “I, along with the majority of the country, am happy that the US naval deployment is succeeding in their mission.”
The US military should brutally kill all traffickers, according to the statement, “I have no sympathy for them.”
However, she is at odds with Maduro’s administration because of that position. Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Yvan Gil Pinto stated to the UN General Assembly this week that the US strikes “were a completely immoral military threat hanging over our heads.”
According to legal experts, the bombing campaign is comparable to extrajudicial killings because of potential international law violations. 14 maritime vessels, the majority of them small boats, have been the target of at least 13 strikes so far.
In the US attacks, 57 people were killed, according to estimates. No conclusive proof has yet been presented to the public that they are connected to drug trafficking.
Over US strikes, relations strained
The most recent chapter in the two countries’ diplomatic relationship is Persad-Bissessar, who is now known as a persona non grata.
Trinidad and Tobago was reportedly considering deporting “mass of undocumented migrants” from its territory, the majority of whom are Venezuelans, on Tuesday, according to AFP.
Trinidad and Tobago’s homeland security minister, Roger Alexander, placed a stop to any planned “illegal immigrants” in detention, according to a memo that the news agency reviewed.
The memo stated that “a mass deportation exercise is currently being considered.”
Following Maduro’s request on Monday to “immediate suspend” a significant gas deal with Trinidad and Tobago, the island nation was cited by the reception of a US warship.
One of the several US warships that President Donald Trump has deployed close to Venezuelan waters is located on the island. The US president is accused of trying to overthrow Maduro’s administration by Venezuelan officials.
Maduro accused Persad-Bissessar of turning Venezuela into an aircraft carrier of the American empire when Maduro canceled the gas deal.
The Pentagon has already deployed seven warships, a submarine, drones, and fighter jets to the Caribbean, as well as another warship to the Gulf of Mexico.
In recent weeks, the US bombing campaign has had six more bombings announced just the week before.
The Eastern Pacific Ocean near Colombia and the Caribbean waters off Venezuela’s shores are among the areas where it’s expanded as well.
According to some observers, Maduro was re-elected last year in a US election that the Trump administration claimed was a fraud.
Source: Aljazeera
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