“It Was Disrespectful To The Sovereignty of Venezuela”

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Regional leaders remain on high alert after Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were captured in a U.S. military operation last weekend, a dramatic move by the United States reverberating across the Caribbean, and the world.

CARICOM’s Bereau of Conference Heads met after the operation, reiterating its call for peaceful dialogue through diplomatic channels, ensuring every effort is made to ensure the safety of citizens in the region.

While the U.S. Virgin islands is not part of CARICOM, they sit in the Caribbean Sea.

It’s governor Albert Bryan Jr., says he’s standing with those that are speaking out.

Albert Bryan Jr. – Governor, U.S. Virgin Islands

“I especially applaud leaders like Mia Mortley in the Caribbean making that noise. One of my heroes in St. Vincent and the Grenadines [is] Ralph Gonzales, even though he’s not there anymore. We as a people, as a Caribbean people, need to speak as one.”

Maduro and his wife have been indicted in the Southern District of New York, accused of narco-terrorism, and will now face trial in American courts.

U.S. President Donald Trump says the operation against Maduro, as well as the continued sanctions and military pressure, was aimed at opening the country’s vast oil reserves to U.S. companies, with a fifth oil tanker seized Friday morning.

Bryan says these developments should not shift the focus of other looming concerns like cleaner renewed energy in the region.

Albert Bryan Jr. – Governor, U.S. Virgin Islands

“Right now you know the president is like drill baby, drill, but we in the Caribbean no solar wind. All kinds of technologies has to come into place, so we should leverage this position. The importance of the U.S. dominance is not gonna win.”

Albert Bryan Jr. – Governor, U.S. Virgin Islands

“Sovereignty, and you know, what happened in Venezuela definitely disrespected the sovereignty of that nation. We have to make sure that that has to change, we have to respect other people’s laws, the way of doing business, their systems of government.”