Local News

Venezuela set to repost ambassador to Grenada as “relations cool”

by CARIBUPDATE NEWS SERVICE

CARACAS, Venezuela: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs here has decided to send the country’s St. George’s-based ambassador Carlos Perez to a new posting in Antigua, according to a reliable source here.

There has been no official announcement from Caracas, and a check in St George’s with Grenadian foreign affairs officials revealed that as of now they have no indication of the development.

But the plans to move Perez to St John’s by November are not being seen in some diplomatic circles as a run-of-the-mill reposting.

Relations between Caracas and St George’s have notably cooled in the last year after officials of the Tillman Thomas administration had been openly critical about the Venezuelan sponsored ALBA.

Grenada’s Prime Minister Tillman Thomas made comments that were critical of the alliance and of the involvement of some CARICOM countries during a visit to Toronto earlier this year that raised eyebrows in some regional capitals.

Caracas has also seen as a snub, Grenada’s decision to not send an ambassador to Caracas for over a year since the end of the tour of duty of the last ambassador.

The Venezuelan government had reportedly privately queried the non-posting of a Grenadian representative in Caracas.

According to our diplomatic sources, the Hugo Chavez administration appears to have no immediate plans to send a new ambassador to St George’s to replace Perez.

“There is not likely to be an official announcement one way or the other, but I am sure a lot of people will read into it what they will,” a foreign affairs official told CARIBUPDATE here.

Former Grenada Foreign Affairs Minister Peter David had sought to cultivate a deep relations with Caracas, which resulted in the funding of many local projects.

When he was fired, his replacement Karl Hood had lobbied the Thomas administration to continue to seek deepening the relations, including considering joining ALBA, but this was rejected by the government.

Comments are closed.