GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Guyana government Friday said it views with “grave concern the threat to peace and security in the region” posed by transnational organised crime and narco- terrorism.
In a statement, Georgetown said that these activities often involve criminal networks such as the Cartel de los Soles of Venezuela, designated as a terrorist organisation by some countries in the region.
“Such criminal networks have the capacity to overwhelm state institutions, undermine democracy, pervert the rule of law, and threaten human dignity and development.”
Earlier this 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 are also being allocated to US Southern Command as part of the mission.
The Guyana government said it wanted to underscore “the necessity for strengthened cooperation and concerted efforts at the national, regional, hemispheric and global levels to combat this menace effectively”.
The statement said Guyana reaffirms its support for a collaborative and integrated approach to tackle transnational organised crime.
“We are committed to working with our bilateral partners to find meaningful solutions and will support regional and global initiatives aimed at dismantling criminal networks to safeguard our shared security.
“By confronting transnational organised crime and narco- terrorism with unity, we reaffirm our dedication to upholding the rule of law and ensuring that the region remains a Zone of Peace,” Georgetown said.
Earlier this 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.
The summit declaration rejected what it called “false pretexts” for foreign intervention and reaffirmed support for Venezuela’s sovereignty. The statement also urged the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to convene an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers in response to the situation.
The 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has not issued any statement regarding the presence of the US warships in the region. Still, former Trinidad and Tobago prime minister Stuart Young is quoted in the NEWSDAY newspaper in his country as saying that “the recent developments being reported by international media should be of concern to all citizens and I dare say to the region.
“CARICOM and our region is a recognised zone of peace and this must be maintained,” said Young, adding that Trinidad and Tobago has ”consistently respected and upheld the principles of non-intervention and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, and for good reason.
“I trust that our allies will also respect and uphold these principles,” he added.
The leader of the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) in Trinidad and Tobago, David Abdulah, has condemned the US military build-up.
“We totally reject the so-called pretext for this unprecedented assembly of naval and other military assets and personnel as being one to ‘deal with narco-trafficking,” he said, noting the US Coast Guard, with Caribbean and European countries, has already long enacted interdiction of narco-traffickers in the Caribbean, with a significant drug seizure as recently as June.
“US Navy destroyers, a guided missile cruiser, helicopter carriers, amphibious vessels, and other assets, US Marines, nuclear submarines are all offensive, to attack another country or target,” Abdulah added.
The United States government has advised its citizens “not to travel to or remain in Venezuela due to the serious risks of unlawful detention, torture in custody, terrorism, kidnapping, unfair policing practices, violent crime, and civil unrest.
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