Prime Minister Stuart Young has described the discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as productive as they were able to touch on key areas of national interest, such as national security.
The Prime Minister provided an update on the meeting, held on Wednesday in Jamaica, during Thursday’s Post-Cabinet Media Briefing.
“I am happy to stand here today and tell the population that the meeting was a very good meeting. The meeting was a successful meeting as far as we are concerned in Trinidad and Tobago. The exchanges between Secretary of State Rubio and myself were very positive.”
He said key security concerns, including transnational crime and border protection, were raised.
“He is someone very familiar with this region, having operated in his political life out of Florida. That we are the third border of the United States. We are the Southern Marine border of the United States. That was accepted. We discussed it. We discussed the roles that we have played in recent times and in the past in assisting in operations to deal with and to target transnational organised crime, which is a big issue for the United States as well as the CARICOM and ourselves.”
Prime Minister Young also gave a commitment to collaborate with the US to fight transnational crime in the region, including combating the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
“I had already given the commitment, and I was able to tell the Secretary of State that if there is transnational, organised crime operating or coming to operate in Trinidad, we want to stop that as a Government and we recognise that if we utilise our anti-terrorism legislation, it may give us a little bit more power to deal with these notorious type criminals. We are prepared to do that as a Government.”
He was asked whether there was evidence of the gang in Trinidad and Tobago.
“We have no evidence of that, but the same way you see us doing with other, because you see it very often in the newspaper or from time to time that the AG has gone to court and gotten orders to declare certain persons terrorists, etc. Let’s take the preemptive strike so if they arrive here, we already have the power in place.”
With discussions expected to continue, Prime Minister Young said the Government will keep the nation informed on any major developments.