00:00You can say Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobas has travelled around the globe.
00:05But this visit to Venezuela is likely to be among the most closely watched.
00:11It marks the first visit by a cabinet member of the Camerbasan-Besasa administration
00:16since the government came into office in 2025.
00:20And the timing is significant.
00:22Sobas's bilateral engagement with Venezuelan officials comes ahead
00:26of a planned high-level energy delegation to the South American nation,
00:31an initiative announced by Prime Minister Camerbasan-Besasa in March
00:35to explore oil and gas opportunities.
00:39According to a joint statement issued by the two countries,
00:43Sobas's visit marks a new chapter in diplomatic relations
00:46between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.
00:50The discussions between the two foreign ministers were described as productive
00:55with both sides developing a working agenda intended to move relations into a new era.
01:02That agenda, according to the statement, will, quote,
01:05be led by Her Excellency Delce Rodriguez,
01:09President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
01:11and the Honourable Camerbasan-Besasa Senior Council MP,
01:16Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago,
01:19an era that will be grounded in mutual respect, understanding, and good neighborliness, end quote.
01:27And while a meeting between the two heads of government has not been announced,
01:31diplomatic engagements at the foreign minister level
01:34often establish the framework for such discussions.
01:37The working agenda identifies several areas of priority,
01:42including commerce and trade, energy and natural resources,
01:46agriculture and food security,
01:48sustainable development and environmental protection,
01:51culture and people-to-people integration,
01:54as well as collective security.
01:56The diplomatic outreach comes despite a difficult recent history between the two governments.
02:02Venezuela's National Assembly declared Prime Minister Pesant-Besasa persona non grata
02:08in October 2025 amid tensions over Trinidad and Tobago's position on Venezuela
02:14and its relationship with the United States.
02:17But the latest engagement suggests both sides are now seeking to reopen channels of communication
02:24and energy is likely to remain a central part of that conversation.
02:29Sobiz's visit comes just one day after Venezuela entered a significant new phase
02:34of energy cooperation with the United States.
02:37On September 2nd, Chevron announced plans to invest more than 7 billion U.S. dollars
02:43in Venezuela over the next five years,
02:45with a target of more than doubling production to approximately 600,000 barrels of oil per day.
02:52That development adds another layer of significance for Trinidad and Tobago,
02:57given Venezuela's proximity and the potential implications for investment,
03:02production and energy flows across the Caribbean.
03:05For Port of Spain, therefore, the Caracas visit is about more than restoring diplomatic dialogue.
03:11It's also about positioning Trinidad and Tobago within a changing regional landscape
03:17where energy, trade, security and relations with major powers are increasingly interconnected.
03:24The Trinidad and Tobago delegation includes Permanent Secretary and Head of the Foreign Service,
03:29Randall Karam, along with officials from the Ministry's America's Division.
03:34Urbashi Tawari, Rupnarain, TV6 News.
