Trinidad PM Persad-Bissessar expects meeting with Venezuela’s Delcy Rodríguez at UN

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says she expects to meet Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez later this month, as the neighboring countries move to repair relations following months of diplomatic tensions.

Persad-Bissessar told reporters Wednesday that a meeting is being planned on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, scheduled for September 22-26.

The proposed meeting would mark a significant shift in relations between Persad-Bissessar and Caracas. In October 2025, Venezuela’s National Assembly declared the Trinidad and Tobago prime minister persona non grata and banned her from entering the country amid tensions over her government's support for U.S. military actions against Venezuela.

Asked whether the designation could complicate a meeting with Rodríguez, Persad-Bissessar said she was willing to meet anyone who wanted to meet with her.

“I will meet with anyone who wishes to meet me,” she said.

Persad-Bissessar stressed the longstanding relationship between the neighboring countries, noting that she also has family members who are Venezuelan nationals.

“Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela, we have very, very close ties, so whatever has to be done we will do in the best interest of Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela,” she said.

Asked what message she had for Rodríguez, Persad-Bissessar responded: “I love her, I look forward to meeting her.”

She said the two leaders are hoping to meet while attending the UN gathering later this month.

“Yes, I think there is a plan that we will both meet at the end of September,” Persad-Bissessar said. “If it doesn’t happen, I’ll let you know, but that is a plan.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Sean Sobers is working to arrange the meeting, she added.

The development follows a visit by Sobers and a Trinidad and Tobago delegation to Caracas last week as the two governments seek to reset diplomatic relations.

Following the talks, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela announced that they had agreed on a roadmap to deepen cooperation in areas including trade, energy, agriculture, environmental protection, culture and collective security.

In a joint statement, the governments described the visit as marking “a new chapter” in diplomatic relations and said the working agenda would provide a roadmap for increased cooperation in several priority areas.

Persad-Bissessar also expressed confidence Wednesday that improved relations with Caracas would help advance Trinidad and Tobago's efforts to access Venezuelan natural gas.

“I have absolutely no doubt that gas from Venezuela will come to Trinidad and Tobago,” she said.

She pointed to the countries' proximity and said agreements have already been signed with BP, while the government hopes to conclude arrangements with Shell and other companies.

“I have absolutely no doubt that in the next year we will see natural gas coming to Trinidad and Tobago, and part of it has to do with rapprochement with Venezuela,” Persad-Bissessar said.

“We are neighbors, well we’re in fact family,” she added.

Relations between Port of Spain and Caracas deteriorated sharply last year as tensions between Venezuela and the United States escalated.

Venezuelan authorities accused Persad-Bissessar of supporting U.S. military aggression against the country, ultimately declaring her persona non grata.

The political landscape in Venezuela has since changed following the removal of President Nicolás Maduro from office. Maduro and his wife are currently being held in the United States, where he faces charges including drug trafficking.

The planned Persad-Bissessar-Rodríguez meeting would be one of the highest-level engagements between the two governments since their recent push to normalize relations.