By Stephen Kangal, Caroni
August 26, 2025

THE right of the United States to deploy its naval vessels in international and territorial waters located across the globe is exercising the freedom of navigation/right of innocent/transit passage in the territorial seas/international straits of other nations.

It is not an aspect/expression/enactment of its sovereignty the exercise of which is limited to, inter alia, its land space, air space above and its territorial sea, Minister Sobers.


Venezuelan Caribbean coast

Minister Sobers, your Prime Minister said if Venezuela were to invade Guyana (a conflict), T&T would side with the USA by even granting the Americans access to our territory to be used as a staging post/beachhead against Venezuelan forces en route to Georgetown.
This is not a “non-interventionist approach”.

In fact, the instantaneous foreign policy of T&T as expressed/declared by the PM of T&T level is “interventionist” by supporting the build-up and deployment of US maritime assets within the Exclusive Economic Zone of Venezuela geared to confront the drug cartels and narco-traffickers.

T&T, based on the media release from the PM, would appear to be on the side of US in its potential interference in the internal and domestic political affairs of Venezuela to effect regime change/stop narco-trafficking via potential use of force that is acting against and in violation the tenets of the UN Charter.

The USA cannot act in the exercise of its inherent sovereignty by emplacing its military ships in a legitimate maritime zone over which Venezuela has exclusive sovereign rights that are recognised, firstly, by the USA in treaty law of 1978, secondly, by the 1982 UN Convention of the LOS (UNCLOS) and, thirdly, by customary international law.

The presence of US warships anchored off the Venezuelan Caribbean coast is not an act that is legitimised by US sovereignty, Minister Sobers, but is a violation of the principles underlying the freedom of navigation and the right of innocent passage.

It poses a potential threat to the preservation of the marine environment with possible nuclear military capability/technology being used.

The chart below shows the huge Caribbean extent of the EEZ of Venezuela that extends midway between Venezuela and Puerto Rico.

There are no areas of the high seas located in the Caribbean Sea and, therefore, this US armada will be operating within well-established national maritime borders that have been negotiated, signed, ratified and registered with the UN by the respective littoral states.