00:00The protocol members of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, the OECS, are expressing deep concern regarding recent reports of intensified military operations by external powers in the Southern Caribbean Sea, including the destruction of vessels alleged to be involved in narcotics trafficking without interception or verification, which they say is in contravention of international law.
00:22According to the OECS website, its protocol members are the seven founding members Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
00:37All seven OECS member states, along with Trinidad and Tobago, are among the 15 member states of the Caribbean community, CARICOM.
00:45In their statement on Tuesday, the OECS protocol member states are urging all partners to engage in open consultation with the Caribbean community and the OECS before any initiative that could alter the regional security balance.
01:01The government of Trinidad and Tobago, led by Prime Minister Kamlo Passat-Besessa, has expressed its full support for what the U.S. says is its war on drug cartels in the region.
01:10CNN reported that as of Sunday, the U.S. military had killed 64 people in 15 strikes that destroyed 16 boats as part of that U.S. campaign.
01:20The protocol OECS member states said in a statement on Tuesday that while their governments remain firmly committed to regional and international cooperation in the fight against transnational crime, including drug trafficking,
01:32they are equally committed to the preservation of the Caribbean as a zone of peace, a principle solemnly affirmed by the heads of government of the region and supported by the United Nations General Assembly.
01:44Venezuela's government, led by Nicolas Maduro, has claimed the recent build-up of the U.S. military in the Caribbean is aimed at regime change in Venezuela.
01:52While U.S. President Donald Trump told 60 Minutes News that he would not tell a reporter if land strikes would occur in Venezuela,
01:59as part of what he maintains is the U.S. war on drug cartels, President Trump also said he thinks Mr. Maduro's days as Venezuela's president are numbered.
02:09Late last week on the social media platform X, Russia's foreign ministry said Russia supports the leadership of Venezuela in defending its national sovereignty,
02:18taking into account the dynamics of the international and regional situation.
02:23The OECS protocol member states are concerned that heightened military activities in and around the Southern Caribbean risk escalating tensions and misunderstandings in a region
02:34whose stability and security are essential to the well-being of our peoples.
02:39The OECS protocol member states said in their statement on Tuesday that actions undertaken without adequate consultation or communication with regional partners
02:48risk creating misunderstandings and tensions and may inadvertently embroil the entire Caribbean in a wider confrontation,
02:58undermining decades of careful diplomacy and peaceful coexistence.
03:03Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines
03:12reaffirmed that peace and dialogue must remain the cornerstone of regional and hemispheric relations,
03:18and respect for sovereignty and non-interference are essential to maintaining trust and stability.
03:26Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
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