BRIDGETOWN, Barbados/CMC – Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, arrived in Barbados on Sunday, her second visit to a Caribbean Community (Caricom) country since she was sworn into office in January following the United States invasion of the South American country that led to the detention of President Nicolas Maduro.
Rodriguez had visited Grenada on April 9 for a few hours and held discussions with Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell and other members of his cabinet during what an official statement later described as a “cordial and constructive atmosphere”.
No details of Rodríguez’s visit here have been released, but an informed source told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that she will meet with Prime Minister Mia Mottley before her departure on Monday afternoon.
“She seems to be making the rounds to some Caribbean countries,” the source told CMC.
But in a message posted on her social media page, Mottley said that the visit “will provide an opportunity for high level discussions on areas of practical cooperation and wider regional development.
“For Barbados, diplomacy remain rooted in respect, dialogue and purpose. We continue to engage our partners with a clear focus on building relationships that can deliver tangible benefits for our people and the wider region,” she added.
Last week, former Trinidad and Tobago prime minister Stuart Young posted on his social media page a photograph of himself and Rodríguez following a meeting in Caracas.
“It was a pleasure meeting Her Excellency, Delcy Rodríguez, Presidenta Encargada, of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela earlier this week,” Young, a former energy minister wrote on his Facebook page.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who has been declared “persona non grata” by the Venezuela’s National Assembly, has in the past been openly critical of Rodríguez and the Maduro administration.
She recently announced that Port of Spain intends to send a diplomatic mission to Caracas to ensure Port of Spain secures its “just share” of cross border oil and gas resources.
The Dragon gas field—located in Venezuelan waters but close to Trinidad’s energy infrastructure—has been viewed as a key supply source for the country’s liquefied natural gas LNG industry. Progress has been complicated by geopolitical tensions and sanctions imposed on Venezuela.
Similarly, the Loran Manatee field which straddles maritime boundaries has long been the subject of bilateral discussions, with Trinidad and Tobago moving ahead with development on its side while negotiations continue regarding the Venezuelan portion.
