Venezuela declares T’dad PM persona grata

NEW YORK, United States (CMC)—Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is to pay an official visit to Venezuela after she held a “cordial working meeting” on Wednesday with acting Venezuelan President, Delcy Rodríguez that both parties say heralds “the beginning of a new era in bilateral relations”. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ongoing 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and, according to a joint statement issued afterwards, the two leaders “reaffirmed the historical bonds of friendship and cooperation that unite Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago”. The statement said that “with the purpose of maintaining a direct consultation mechanism at the highest level, both dignitaries agreed to pay official visits to Caracas and Port of Spain”, with the Venezuelan side indicating “that the prime minister was indeed persona grata in Venezuela. No date has been announced for the visits. In October last year, the Venezuelan National Assembly declared Persad-Bissessar persona non grata, banning her from entering the country. Caracas had accused her of supporting the United States' military aggression against the Bolivarian Republic that led to the removal of President Nicolas Maduro from office. He, along with his wife, is now in a United States jail on several charges, including illegal drug smuggling. According to the joint statement, the two leaders during the meeting reiterated “their commitment to consolidating the bilateral agenda under the principles of mutual respect, sovereignty, good neighbourliness, dialogue, and cooperation, for the benefit and prosperity of both peoples. “In that spirit, they agreed on a work agenda aimed at strengthening exchange and mutual benefit in the areas of trade, energy, security, disaster risk management, environmental protection, agriculture, tourism, air connectivity and culture.” Earlier this month, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela said they had agreed on a roadmap to deepen cooperation in trade, energy, agriculture, environmental protection, culture and collective security following a meeting between the foreign ministers of both countries in Caracas. According to Wednesday’s joint statement, Rodríguez reiterated the gratitude of the people of Venezuela to the government and people of Trinidad and Tobago for the expressions of solidarity offered following the earthquakes of June 24, 2026. The statement said that they also “ratified their determination to continue promoting a relationship of friendship, good neighbourliness, trust, and cooperation, aimed at generating concrete opportunities for development and well-being for the peoples of Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago, and contributing to peace, stability, and prosperity in the Caribbean”.