Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino issuing statements to the press. Photo: Venezuela's Presidential Press/File photo.
During a televised briefing on the operations of the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) to address drug trafficking and US military threats on Monday, Venezuelan Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino denied Guyana’s accusations of an alleged attack from Venezuelan territory on a Guyanese boat carrying personnel and electoral material.
Minister Padrino said that Guyana’s accusations are a false positive and accused the United States of orchestrating a narrative to create conflict in the region. Additionally, the Venezuelan minister lamented that “vassal governments” in the region are lending themselves to a narrative dictated by Washington, which he described as “sterile and useless.”
He criticized the government of Trinidad and Tobago for offering its territory to the United States “to attack what they call the Cartel de los Soles,” and warned of the danger of “the Guyanese and Trinidadian mafias; as through them, they are trying to create a war front.”
The top military commander also said that “Venezuela has never had such a strong military presence on that de facto line, which connects us to the territory usurped by Guyana, our territory, territory grossly exploited, ignoring the 1966 Geneva Agreement, which is the backbone of the position we have regarding the territory of Guayana Esequiba.”
Guyana’s complaint comes amid rising tensions between Caracas and Washington, especially following the deployment of US military and warships in the Caribbean. Along these lines, the Venezuelan government recently condemned the imminent deployment of other US warships to the Caribbean, including a guided-missile cruiser, the USS Lake Erie, and nuclear submarine USS Newport News, to waters near Venezuela.
Faced with the United States’ threat in the Caribbean Sea, which threatens not only the peace and security of Venezuela but also the proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, the Venezuelan government has requested support from the secretary-general of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres. Meanwhile, it has received support from several regional leaders who have spoken out against US interference.
(Telesur)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SF
