The Colombian Navy reported this Monday, February 28, on a joint military exercise between the naval forces of this country and those of the United States, developed on the Caribbean coast. Such a situation was not to the liking of the Venezuelan military high command, considering it a threat to sovereignty.
The Venezuelan Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, “categorically” rejected the execution of these training exercises, in a brief message that he shared on his Twitter account.
«Drug trafficking, the war in Arauca, systematic murders and terrorist groups cannot be fought with nuclear submarines. I reject it categorically,” Padrino said.
mutual cooperation
According to Colombia and the United States, these naval exercises “ratify the mutual trust” between the two nations, as Colombian Defense Minister Diego Molano said.
“Especially this exercise is done within the scope of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), in the case of Colombia as a global partner country of NATO and of course the United States,” the head of Defense told reporters when referring to to the activities carried out this weekend.
Molano noted that there are common interests in the Caribbean Sea, such as efforts once morest drug trafficking, in which 40 countries join forces to seize cocaine and other illicit drugs.
The minister explained “that the aim is to adapt the best international standards in the development of maritime operations, in the development of joint actions.”
From somewhere in the Colombian Caribbean and aboard the Colombian frigate ARC Independiente, Molano stressed that for the first time in the history of naval cooperation between the two countries, the United States participated in these maneuvers with a nuclear submarine, the USS Minnesota.
He stressed that the main message to be sent with this naval exercise “is that here we have capabilities of our Navy and our Military Forces that allow Colombia to be the only country in Latin America that is a global partner of NATO.”
In addition to the nuclear submarine, the naval exercise included the USS Billings littoral combat ship (LCS), the Colombian submarine ARC Pijao, and the frigates ARC Independiente and ARC Almirante Padilla, as well as two maritime patrol aircraft. and two helicopters.
In this regard, Godfather López described the activity as an “imperialist ostentation.”
“Why so much imperialist ostentation? Is it a replica of the Nato expansion (of NATO) in the Mediterranean of America?” Padrino asked.
???? The @ArmadaColombia is proud to be part of the “Rear Admiral José David Espitia Jiménez” operation in Caribbean waters, for the progress of maritime education, being a participant in the protection and development of national interests. ???????????????? pic.twitter.com/nBHTPJFGYL
– Colombian Navy (@ArmadaColombia) February 28, 2022
