Prime Minister Mia Mottley says there are currently no reports of Barbadians being injured in Venezuela following a United States military operation that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
Speaking during a press conference at Ilaro Court on Saturday, Mottley said she had been in continuous contact with Barbados’ Ambassador to Venezuela, Aquinas Clarke, since the early hours of the morning.
“There is no evidence or any reports of any injuries to any Barbadians in Venezuela, and for that we are grateful,” the prime minister said.
Mottley described Clarke, who has a military background, as composed and firmly in control of the situation on the ground, noting that he was “not phased” and had “taken control and [is] in charge.”
She said she spoke with the ambassador again just minutes before addressing the media and stressed that the situation remained fluid, with Barbados maintaining constant contact with its diplomatic officials as developments continued to unfold.
While underscoring that Barbadians in Venezuela were safe at this stage, Mottley acknowledged that the country was already experiencing tangible fallout from the escalating crisis. She described the developments in Venezuela as “uncharted territory” and warned that long-anticipated consequences for small states were now being felt in real time.
“It is fair to say that what we saw happen last night in Venezuela is uncharted territory,” she said, adding that Barbados had been affected “on multiple fronts” within the past 24 hours.
Among the most immediate impacts were disruptions to air travel. Mottley confirmed that Grantley Adams International Airport remains open and fully operational, but aviation challenges linked to airspace restrictions across parts of the eastern and southern Caribbean had affected flights in and out of the United States.
As a result, 13 scheduled inbound flights were cancelled overnight, all of which had been fully booked. US-registered airlines including JetBlue, Delta and United were impacted, while KLM also cancelled a flight despite not operating out of the United States. Three long-haul international flights were also cancelled, though British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Air Canada and WestJet were expected to operate as normal.
“These matters are unfolding every half hour to an hour,” Mottley said, noting that regional air travel was continuing largely uninterrupted but remained under close review.
She said the National Security Council met shortly after 1 a.m., activating a coordinated response involving law enforcement, immigration, tourism, port and airport authorities, along with the Barbados Defence Force.
As one of the closest major tourism hubs to Venezuela, Barbados is also managing disruptions at sea. Four cruise ships were already in port on Saturday, with a fifth expected to arrive for maintenance and repairs. Mottley said port capacity for overnight berthing had been reviewed and was manageable in the short term, although some vessels may need to anchor offshore and rely on tenders.
An estimated 2,000 cruise passengers could be affected by flight disruptions, while 73 people were directly impacted by the cancellation of a Conviasa flight scheduled to return to Caracas.
To address the needs of stranded travellers, the government is working with the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association to identify available accommodation. Mottley noted that hotel capacity remains comfortable due to the same flight cancellations preventing other visitors from arriving.
“We are conscious that there are some people who may not have the wherewithal or the capacity to make their own arrangements,” she said, adding that home affairs, immigration and tourism officials were coordinating support where necessary.
The prime minister also addressed concerns about Barbadians abroad, particularly those returning from Christmas travel who may now face delays.
“We give families in Barbados the assurance that we are on top of helping with your relatives who may be stranded overseas,” she said.
Barbados to act collectively with CARICOM: Mottley
Asked about Barbados’ position on the unfolding crisis, Mottley emphasized the country’s commitment to regional consultation and international law, while avoiding prejudging ongoing CARICOM discussions.
“Let me be very clear, Venezuela is our friend, the United States of America is our friend. The Caribbean Community has been the entity we have chosen as a matter of first principles to align our foreign policy with,” she said.
She added that Barbados would await further information before acting collectively with its regional partners.
“We took a decision that we will wait for other information to become present, and when that happens, we will certainly act collectively, and I do not want in any way to prejudice the integrity of that consultancy process with CARICOM,” Mottley said.
The prime minister confirmed that she had been in contact with fellow CARICOM leaders and the CARICOM Secretary-General since early Saturday morning, and that an emergency Heads of Government meeting was convened just after 5 a.m., resulting in a regional statement. Not all leaders were present due to the timing of the meeting.
Reiterating Barbados’ long-standing foreign policy position, Mottley said: “Having said that, our principles are very clear, that small states can only survive in an international rules-based order and that therefore anything that happens that runs contrary to that would be of great concern to us as a people in Barbados but equally to the region.”
“Without prejudice, I will await any further consultation on the specifics of this incident.”
While some regional airspace closures, including in Curaçao and the French territories, have since been lifted, Mottley cautioned that stability will depend on further developments in Venezuela.
“This is a moving target,” she said. “We will continue to keep everyone updated.”
