Tension around the region Essequiboinside Guyanaappeared at the border again at the end of the year Venezuelan and the neighboring country after weeks of apparent peace. The first country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, ordered the Palace of Miraflores to conduct military exercises in the eastern Caribbean in response to threats to its territorial integrity from the United Kingdom.
The measure was passed after Georgetown confirmed that a country’s entry had been accepted. British ship HMS Trent In waters that Caracas thought were limitless. “This threat is unacceptable For Venezuela and any country in the region. We took a step in the first stage of this, our FANB (Bolivarian National Armed Forces) took a step by uniting. “We are not messing with anyone, but no one will come and rob Venezuela,” Maduro said.
For the government, the existence of that ship is “It is a violation of the Argyle Agreements“, was signed last December 14 with the aim of resolving a bilateral dispute on the basis of dialogue. Maduro and Irfaan AliThe President of Guyana met in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines due to tensions arising from an old dispute over Essequibo. This dispute was reignited after the first public consultation in Venezuela, which opened the doors for the annexation of 160,000 square kilometers of territory very rich in hydrocarbons and minerals.
Now Caracas argues that HMS Trent’s presence represents a further step backwards. Maduro underlined Venezuela, “I will not sit idle“. The President assured that he would respond “proportionately to the threats” and that his Government would move in that direction. “reserves” the right to take “all measures” for “defence” “Sovereign” regions of Venezuela. Ali said there was nothing to fear from activities taking place in Guyana or its waters.
vice president of Venezuela Delcy Rodriguez He recalled that the 1899 award was made for the illegal seizure of Essequibo lands from London. “The United Kingdom has an obligation to comply with the matters agreed in the Argyle Declaration It expressly excludes external threats aimed at seeding or escalating a conflict between Venezuela and Guyana. Their threatening behavior towards our country and the peace of our Region will receive a timely and legitimate response from Venezuela. We decided on independence more than two centuries ago. “We will not accept any form of neocolonialism.”
According to Rodríguez, the United Kingdom should accept that it is part of the 1966 Geneva Convention, which stipulates that a mutually acceptable agreement must be reached on Essequibo. Ali reminded that the complaint should be resolved “by the International Court of Justice (ICJ)”. Guyana’s president, meanwhile, emphasized that Essequibo “is not the subject of discussion, discussion or negotiation.”
British reaction
Guyana has the support of the USA and the UK. Brazil does not sympathize with Caracas’ position after popular consultation. It’s not even Cuba. A British Foreign Office spokesman said the ship would not dock in Georgetown. Your activities will take place at sea “As part of a series of routine maneuvers in the area”. London assured that efforts were being made to prevent “escalation” between Venezuela and Guyana. In response, he called on Caracas to stop this attack. “unfair acts“Against the neighbour. In this sense, he reiterated that the border between the two countries was defined in 1889. He emphasized that Guyana is “an important regional ally and partner of the Commonwealth.”
The NGO Civil Control warned about the risk posed to the region by the increase in tensions between Venezuela and Guyana. According to the director of the non-governmental organization Rocío San Miguel, with the military deployment Venezuela “shows its teeth” and demonstrates its operational capacity. According to him, the situation is worrying due to a combination of factors, including the existence of “two countries with undefined borders, conducting simultaneous military exercises around the disputed territory” and the presence of an “extra-continental military force”. and the violation of the Argyle agreements, which represented “a regression in the commitment to good neighborliness, peaceful coexistence and the unity of Latin America and the Caribbean.”