By Staff Writer
ROSEAU, Dominica, Aug 28, CMC – Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit Thursday said Dominica remains committed to the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) position that the Caribbean should remain a “zone of peace” even as he refused to comment on the position taken by his Trinidad and Tobago counterpart, Kamla Persad Bissessar, on the matter based on the presence of United States military off the coast of Venezuela.
“As you may be aware, many years ago, the Community of Latin American countries and also CARICOM declared the Caribbean as a zone of peace, and we would like for this (region) to remain a zone of peace,” Skerrit told a news conference.
“Any military action in the Caribbean has a serious negative impact on the way of life of every single citizen in the Caribbean and Latin America, and so we would urge caution on this because any misunderstanding can flare up into something that none of us really want,” he told reporters.
Last week, the United States ordered an amphibious squadron to the southern Caribbean as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to address threats from Latin American drug cartels.
A nuclear-powered attack submarine, additional P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, several destroyers, and a guided-missile cruiser have also been allocated to US Southern Command as part of the mission.
Venezuela has since responded to what it termed the threat posed by the United States and has itself marshalled its troops along its borders.
Last week, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America–Peoples’ Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) at an extraordinary summit voiced support for Venezuela.
The virtual meeting, hosted from Caracas, brought together heads of state and representatives from Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, Grenada, and St. Lucia. Honduras participated as a guest.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said the deployment of US naval and air assets under the command of Southern Command represented “a strategic move” beyond counter-narcotics, warning it could destabilize regional peace.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro described the alliance as “an alliance of warriors for peace” and thanked ALBA members for their solidarity.
Prime Minister Persad Bissessar, whose United National Congress (UNC) led coalition came to office following the April 28 general elections, said her new administration would be implementing a “Trinidad and Tobago first policy” as she remained undaunted over criticisms at her decision to support of the United States to deploy “military assets” into the Caribbean region to destroy what it described as “the terrorist drug cartels”.
She said that she remains unapologetic for her stance and that Port of Spain has “not engaged and has no intention of engaging” the 15-member regional integration grouping CARICOM “on this matter” with regards to the military build up.
Prime Minister Persad Bissessar, who has taken responsibility for security within the quasi-CARICOM cabinet, said that on this matter, each CARICOM member state “can speak for themselves” and that “Trinidad and Tobago has been helplessly drowning in blood and violence for the last 20 years”.
But when asked to comment on the statement by the Trinidad and Tobago leader, Prime Minister Skerrit told reporters that he has never had a habit of speaking about the views expressed by CARICOM leaders and would not know do so.
“With respect to the views expressed by the (Trinidad and Tobago) government, I have never been in the business of criticising any government, any head of state stating their own position on any particular matter,” he said.
He said regarding the US presence to deal with the drugs situation, “Dominica and this government have always been at the forefront of playing its part in the fight against narcotics, trafficking of arms and ammunition.
“This government has been unrelenting in its efforts and joining regional and international partners in ensuring that this monster of the presence of drugs and ammunition, and guns is not on our streets and in the hands of our children and our society,” Skerrit said, adding, “We are very firm on this”.
He said that while Dominica would like to ensure that the fight against the illegal drugs trade continues, “we will certainly want to ensure that the Caribbean remains a zone of peace and that we call on cooler heads to prevail so that we can enjoy the peace and tranquility that this region has been known for.
“This is the reiteration of the CARICOM position on this matter as we have done in previous circumstances,” Skerrit told reporters.
CMC/cj/ir/2025.