The highest ranking military officer of the United States is to meet with the Prime Minister of this country on Tuesday.
The meeting is to take place during the visit of the Chairman of the U.S Joint Chiefs of Staff to Trinidad and Tobago which the U.S. Embassy says will focus on issues such as "regional unity on the vital importance of countering illicit trafficking."
00:00General Dan Cain, the Chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Kamala Pesad-Besessa during his visit to Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday.
00:11The U.S. Embassy in Port of Spain made the announcement on Monday.
00:14The U.S. Embassy said that General Cain's visit to Trinidad and Tobago will focus on the two nations' strong bilateral relationship, strengthening regional stability and regional unity on the vital importance of countering illicit trafficking and transnational criminal organizations.
00:31The U.S. Joint Chiefs website says General Cain is the United States' highest-ranking military officer and the principal military advisor to the U.S. President, Secretary of Defense and National Security Council.
00:45Prime Minister Pesad-Besessa chairs the National Security Council of Trinidad and Tobago.
00:49General Cain's visit follows the joint exercises which took place in Trinidad and Tobago last week between the U.S. Marine Corps 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit and the Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force from November 16th to 21st.
01:05Last month, that same Marine Unit trained alongside the TTDF during the visit of the missile-guided destroyer, the USS Gravely, to Trinidad and Tobago from October 26th to 30th.
01:17The U.S. government has said that the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit is deployed to the U.S. Southern Command, or SOUTHCOM.
01:25SOUTHCOM's areas of responsibility include the Caribbean Sea.
01:30SOUTHCOM has consistently said U.S. military forces are deployed in the Caribbean in support of the SOUTHCOM mission, Department of War-Directed Operations, and the U.S. President's priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland.
01:44Last week, Venezuela's Defense Minister, Vladimir Pedrino-Lopez, said on Facebook that, quote,
01:51The waters that we have historically shared with Trinidad and Tobago for trade, cooperation, and development of peoples today move unnaturally by warships that American imperialism has deployed to sow division and threaten Venezuela.
02:06On Monday, Venezuela's Foreign Minister, Iván Gilpinto, said on the social media platform Telegram that Venezuela categorically firmly and absolutely rejects what it calls the new and ridiculous hoax of the U.S. Secretary of State,
02:23who designated what Venezuela's government is calling the non-existent Cartel of the Sons as a terrorist organization.
02:32Venezuela's Foreign Minister says the move is meant to justify what he calls an illegitimate and illegal intervention against Venezuela under the classic American format of regime change.
02:43The U.S. government maintains it is engaged in a war on drug cartels.
02:47However, Reuters is reporting that the U.S. is poised to launch a new phase of what Reuters identified as Venezuela-related operations in the coming days, according to four U.S. officials.
03:00Reuters reported that this is to occur as the Trump administration escalates pressure on President Maduro's government.
03:06Last week, on November 17th, Prime Minister Prasad-Besessa said Trinidad and Tobago territory will not be used to launch any attacks against the people of Venezuela.
03:16The Prime Minister also said Trinidad and Tobago will not participate in any act that will bring harm to the Venezuelan people and that Trinidad and Tobago continues to have peaceful relations with the people of Venezuela.
03:29On Monday evening, the office of the Prime Minister said in a brief statement that the meeting between Prime Minister Prasad-Besessa and the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff is being held at the request of the United States.
03:39The OPM for this said, the Prime Minister welcomes the visit and further details will be shared with the media after the meeting.
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