Charles: TT without a foreign policy

In a release, Charles referred to events which have transpired in Venezuela in the wake of voting in that country’s Constituent National Assembly on Sunday. According to Charles, “We are now all left hoping for divine intervention.” He claimed the former People’s Partnership (PP) government used its clout in Caricom to support Jamaica’s desire to be an honest broker among contending parties in Venezuela. He alleged since the PP demitted office, “We outsourced our Caricom foreign policy to the likes of Antigua and Barbuda and St Vincent and the Grenadines.” Charles claimed both countries are ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America) members and, “came down too heavily on the side of (Venezuelan President Nicolas) Maduro.” He reiterated the Opposition’s criticism of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley for taking issue with Organisation of American States (OAS) Secretary General Luis Almagro for criticising Maduro.

Charles said sanctions imposed on Venezuela and Venezuela’s recent suspension from the Mercosur Group can impact existing energy agreements with Venezuela.

TT and Venezuela are in the process of negotiating a gas sales agreement which would see natural gas from Venezuela’s Dragon Field being process in this country.

Charles claimed Government is, “ desperately hoping for oil prices to rise to save us from impending economic disaster.” He also claimed Government is, “praying for this Venezuelan crisis to go away hopefully by divine intervention.” Charles condemned Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dennis Moses for, “pretending unconvincingly to be a foreign policy guru.”