00:00Prime Minister Kamala Posada said in a statement that she and her delegation met with the top leadership of the
00:05U.S. Southern Command to, quote, discuss our continued partnership between the U.S. and Trinidad and Tobago in the
00:12sphere of national security, regional security and the fight against narco-trafficking, end quote.
00:17The Prime Minister said she and her delegation attended the meeting at Southcom's headquarters in Doral, Florida, on Monday, based
00:24on an invitation from the United States government given her administration's strong support, determined action and dynamic partnership to eliminate
00:33the illegal drug trade.
00:34The meeting at Southcom follows the participation of Prime Minister Posada and her delegation at the Shield of the Americas
00:41Summit hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday in Doral.
00:45Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana have joined what the U.S. is calling the America's counter-cartel coalition following the
00:52Shield of the Americas Summit.
00:54The Prime Minister said it was a pleasure to undertake what she called productive and fruitful dialogue with Southcom Commander
01:02General Francis L. Donovan,
01:04Deputy Commander Lieutenant General Pettis, Foreign Policy Advisor, Ambassador Stephanie Siptak-Ramnaf, Commander Senior Enlisted Leader, Sergeant Major Rafael Rodriguez,
01:16and other members of the top leadership of the Southern Command.
01:19The Prime Minister said that, based on gratitude expressed by General Donovan to her administration,
01:25she reinforced her support for the continued and expanded partnerships to fight narco-trafficking as her main goal is to
01:31ensure a total eradication of this plague that has brought what she identified as grave destruction to Trinidad and Tobago.
01:39Prime Minister Posada further said that she made it clear at the meeting at Southcom that her greatest priority was
01:45to ensure the protection of her citizens.
01:47She called for further partnerships, a technical cooperation on cyber security, forensics, and ballistics to ensure an effective fight against
01:56criminal elements in Trinidad and Tobago.
01:58On the social media platform X, Prime Minister Posada said public utilities and Minister in the Office of the Prime
02:04Minister, Barry Padarath, and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Nicholas Morris, joined the discussions.
02:09The Prime Minister said she and her team extended an invitation to General Donovan to visit Trinidad and Tobago, which
02:15he said would be a possibility before year's end.
02:18According to its website, the Southcom's area of responsibility encompasses 31 countries and 12 dependencies and areas of special sovereignty,
02:26including Trinidad and Tobago.
02:28Southcom's website also says its area of responsibility includes the landmass of Latin America, south of Mexico, the waters adjacent
02:36to Central and South America, and the Caribbean Sea.
02:39A recent increase in the U.S. military forces in the Caribbean, which the U.S. still maintains as part
02:44of its war against drug cartels, also saw the U.S. having captured Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife
02:50and flown them to the U.S.
02:53Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
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