00:00On Sunday, TNT was the only CARICOM country to reserve its position on a CARICOM statement,
00:06calling for the maintenance of a zone of peace and dialogue towards a resolution.
00:11A day later, the government doubled down in support of the United States in relation to Venezuela.
00:16Former Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Minister Dr. Amory Brown
00:19signals that it spells trouble for the country's relationship with the CARICOM body.
00:24The current government of Trinidad and Tobago has now completely isolated itself from CARICOM
00:32and is clearly serving another agenda.
00:37Every right-thinking citizen must be deeply concerned by recent developments
00:43and by the UNC's irresponsible rhetoric and its disdain for lawful process,
00:51for maritime law and international law.
00:56He says Prime Minister Kamala Passad-Bissessa is deliberately misconstruing CARICOM principles,
01:01for example, what it means to be a zone of peace.
01:05Dr. Brown points out that among CARICOM countries,
01:08inclusive of those which produced the founding fathers of CARICOM,
01:12namely Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica and TNT,
01:14it is only this country that is behaving in such a manner.
01:18Prime Minister Kamala Passad-Bissessa has completely abdicated her responsibilities
01:24within the CARICOM quasi-cabinet,
01:28and her government is doing harm to our relations within CARICOM
01:33and our relations with other countries in the region.
01:37One of the intentions behind CARICOM is to provide strength as a region
01:41where otherwise small island states would be standing alone
01:45against larger countries, including world superpowers.
01:49Dr. Brown accuses the government of supporting a regime change in Venezuela
01:52under the pretense of fighting a CARICOM boss.
01:56According to him, there are far-reaching implications.
01:59This country now finds itself at variance with the Charter of the United Nations
02:06and the principles of non-interference in the affairs of another sovereign state.
02:14Sadly, the established and respected foreign policy of Trinidad and Tobago
02:20has been destroyed by this government,
02:23taking us from a non-aligned status to what the region now regards
02:29as a satellite state that has farmed out its foreign policy
02:34and completely abandoned its principles.
02:39Alessia Boucher, TV6 News.
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