New York [US], December 18: "We told the US government and their president that we are not intimidated by their crude and arrogant threats. The dignity of our country cannot be compromised or subjugated by anyone," Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said at an event on December 17, according to AFP.
Minister Lopez made the statement after President Trump announced on December 16 that he was imposing a "complete and thorough blockade on all embargoed oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela."
Venezuela's state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) affirmed on December 17 that crude oil exports were unaffected by President Trump's blockade, according to AFP. "Exports of crude oil and by-products are proceeding normally. Oil tankers involved in PDVSA's operations continue to move," PDVSA stated.
There is currently no information on the US response to Venezuela's latest statement.Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Ecuador announced that the US has temporarily deployed Air Force personnel to Ecuador to combat drug trafficking . These personnel will be deployed to Ecuador's Manta Air Base, which was a US base for a decade until 2009.
According to the U.S. Embassy in Quito, this deployment is a "temporary operation with the Ecuadorian Air Force in Manta." The U.S. Embassy emphasized that this "short-term joint effort" will "enhance the capabilities of Ecuadorian military forces in combating drug-related terrorist elements, including
improved intelligence gathering and anti-drug trafficking capabilities, and is designed to protect the U.S. and Ecuador from shared threats."
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, one of President Trump's closest allies in Latin America, said the operation "will allow us to identify and destroy drug trafficking routes, and crack down on those who think they can take over the country."
According to AFP, Mr. Noboa is trying to push back against a wave of violence from drug cartels that has turned one of South America's safest countries into one of its most dangerous.
The ports of Guayaquil and Manta became important export points for cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru.
President Noboa argued that Ecuador needed outside help to combat gangs vying for control of drug trafficking routes.
Source: Thanh Nien
