Former Energy Minister and energy expert Kevin Ramnarine says the showdown is on, after Venezuela's government abruptly cancelled all agreements with Trinidad and Tobago, triggered by this country granting access to US military aircraft.
00:00Ram Narain says the move by Venezuela is not unexpected, noting that tensions had already been simmering between the two countries.
00:09He explains that Venezuela views any form of U.S. military access in the region as a direct provocation, regardless of Trinidad and Tobago's stated intentions.
00:19He says the population should not take this lightly.
00:23Trinidadians tend to take everything as a joke and that is part of our cultural evolution and who we are. That's fine.
00:33I think this is one time we have to take something very seriously. I think what is happening out there is very serious.
00:42Ram Narain believes the tensions will escalate with far-reaching consequences.
00:48We have to be thinking strategically about how those sands are shifting right now.
00:54But to me, it looks like there's an inevitable conflict on the horizon.
00:58I don't think America would have assembled all these assets in the region just for bluffing.
01:04I think they've started now to intercept the tankers and perhaps, of course, that's one means of economic warfare.
01:14He says that even if Venezuela blocks the Dragon gas deal, the impact on Trinidad and Tobago would be limited and it would not be the end of the world.
01:24We have been in the business of oil and gas for 117 years. In those 117 years, we have never received a supply of natural gas from Venezuela.
01:35We have processed some Venezuelan crude at Point up here, but we process crude from over a dozen countries in Point up here.
01:45And just to mention, I mean, I just spent four months living with information in the refinery doing a deep dive.
01:54Our refinery could produce, could process a wide range of crudes.
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