Sobers Arrives in Venezuela for High-Level Talks on Energy, Trade and Security
Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Minister Sean Sobers has arrived in Venezuela for high-level bilateral talks aimed at strengthening relations between Trinidad and Tobago and its closest South American neighbour.
Sobers arrived at the Simón Bolívar International Airport in La Guaira on Thursday, September 3, where he was received by Venezuela’s Vice Minister for the Caribbean, Raúl Li Causi, as the Trinidad and Tobago delegation began an official programme of meetings in Caracas.
The delegation includes Permanent Secretary and Head of the Foreign Service Randall Karim, along with Claire de Bourg and Christopher Thomas of the Ministry’s Americas Division.
The visit is expected to cover several areas of mutual interest, including energy, trade and economic cooperation, agriculture and fisheries, as well as national, maritime and cross-border security.
Sobers is expected to meet Venezuelan Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia and other senior government officials as both countries seek to deepen cooperation and maintain stronger diplomatic channels.
The visit follows an August 14 telephone conversation between Sobers and Plasencia, during which the two foreign ministers expressed a shared desire to strengthen dialogue and pursue an agenda based on mutual benefit and good-neighbourly relations.
The talks are particularly significant given the geographic and economic ties between the two countries. Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela share maritime boundaries and have longstanding interests in energy development, trade and regional security.
Energy is expected to feature prominently in the discussions, alongside efforts to broaden the relationship into other sectors. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has indicated that the renewed engagement with Venezuela is intended to extend beyond energy and include other areas capable of delivering mutual benefits.
Sobers’ visit therefore represents another step in the recent diplomatic push by Port of Spain and Caracas to strengthen bilateral engagement and identify areas where greater cooperation could benefit both countries.
