The Government of Chile expressed on Wednesday its “deep concern” about the deployment of large-scale military operations in the Caribbean and rejected any armed action that puts stability and peace in the region at risk, the Foreign Ministry reported in a statement.
“Chile reaffirms its commitment to international law, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, the peaceful resolution of disputes, the prohibition of the threat or use of force, and respect for human rights as essential principles of coexistence between nations,” he emphasized in the text.
Furthermore, he stressed the importance of confronting, in a coordinated manner, the threat of transnational organized crime, “strengthening cooperation and joint action in different multilateral spaces.” He also reiterated the conviction that Latin America and the Caribbean must continue to be a zone of peace.
The Chilean Government’s statement comes after Washington will deploy last Tuesday in the Caribbean the largest aircraft carrier in its fleet, the USS Gerald R. Ford, along with its strike group.
According to chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, the goal is to strengthen Washington’s ability to “detect, monitor and disrupt illicit activities and actors that compromise the security and prosperity of the United States and our security in the Western Hemisphere.”
The US military deployment off the Venezuelan coast began last August with eight warships, F-35 fighters and a nuclear-powered submarine, under the pretext of combating drug trafficking. Since then, Washington has attacked vessels in the Caribbean and the Pacific, accusing them of links to drug trafficking, but without presenting evidence of them. In these attacks, the US has killed more than 70 people.
In turn, the Government of Venezuela has denounced the threat posed by this military deployment. The President of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro, has warned that Washington’s aggression has as its main objective a change of Government and appropriating the country’s wealth.
