By Admin. Updated 12:53 p.m., Friday, 5 September 2025, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) has expressed “deep concern regarding the recent deployment of extra-regional military forces in the region.”
At present, the United States has military vessels in Caribbean waters in what it says is an effort to respond to drug cartels and drug trafficking allegedly linked to Venezuela.
Two Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over the USS Jason Dunham on Thursday, according to multiple Defense Department officials, CBS reported.
In its statement dated 5 September, CELAC said: “In this regard, it is recalled that Latin America and the Caribbean have been proclaimed a Zone of Peace, a commitment adopted by all Member States and based on principles such as the proscription of the threat or use of force, the peaceful settlement of disputes, the promotion of dialogue and multilateralism, the unrestricted respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference in the internal affairs of States, and the inalienable right of peoples to self-determination.”
“We also emphasise that the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco) constitutes a historic milestone that made our region the first densely populated zone in the world free of such weaponry. This treaty reflects the vocation of our peoples for peace, collective security, and the definitive proscription of nuclear weapons as a means of coercion or threat.”
“Furthermore, we recognise that transnational organised crime and drug trafficking pose a significant threat to achieving peaceful and inclusive societies. Therefore, we reaffirm our will to combat them as a priority, enhancing regional and international cooperation and coordination within the framework of respect for International Law and in compliance with existing legal frameworks and international conventions.”
The statement was signed by Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela—countries comprising the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
Notably, the statement was not signed by Trinidad and Tobago or Guyana.
“The CELAC countries signing this declaration call for the promotion of a secure environment and reiterate their firm commitment to defending peace, stability, democracy, and development throughout the region.”
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