Brazil’s foreign ministry urged South America’s neighbors to return to dialogue and said third countries should avoid “military activities” in support of either side of the dispute.
Brazil’s statement calls on both countries to abide by the Argyle Declaration, an agreement signed by Guyana and Venezuela two weeks ago in which the countries’ leaders announced they would resolve the border dispute through non-violent means.
The dispute arose over Essequibo, a sparsely populated region of Guyana the size of Florida that is rich in oil and minerals.
Venezuela began military exercises with 5,000 troops on Thursday in the eastern Caribbean near the border with Guyana. troops in response to Britain’s decision to send the HMS Trent patrol ship to the region.
In a nationally televised speech, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused Guyana of betraying the spirit of the Argyle Declaration.
“We will not allow anyone to push us,” said N. Maduras, surrounded by the army leadership. He called Britain’s decision to send the warship a threat from a “collapsing former empire”.
The UK Ministry of Defense announced that the visit to the former British colony is one of the ship’s planned visits to the region, and that it will also conduct exercises with Guyana’s military.
The British warship arrived in Guyana on Friday followingnoon. The ship’s account on the social network “X” published photos with sailors greeting the UK ambassador to Guyana and the commander of the country’s military forces, Brigadier General Omar Khan (Omar Khan). They were given a formal lunch and a tour of the ship, presenting its capabilities.
The warship is mainly used to intercept pirates and drug smugglers and recently held joint exercises with the navies of several West African nations. Equipped with cannons and a landing pad for helicopters and drones, the ship can accommodate regarding 50 Marines.
In a statement late Thursday, Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali said Venezuela had “nothing to fear” regarding the British ship’s activity in Guyana’s waters.
“Guyana has long cooperated with regional and international nations to strengthen internal security,” Ali said. “These partnerships do not pose a threat to anyone and do not intend to be aggressive in any way.”
Guyana has controlled Essequibo for decades, but Venezuela revived its claim to the region earlier this month following holding a referendum asking voters whether the territory should become part of the Venezuelan state.
Maduro’s critics say the socialist leader has reignited the border dispute to divert attention from the country’s domestic problems ahead of next year’s presidential election. N. Maduras intends to run for a third term.
Venezuela claims it was the victim of a territory-stealing conspiracy in 1899, when the border was decided by arbitrators from Britain, Russia and the United States. Guyana was then a British colony.
Caracas also claims that a dispute settlement agreement signed in 1966 between Venezuela, Britain and the then-colony of British Guiana overruled the original arbitration.
Guyana maintains that the original agreement is legal and binding, and in 2018 appealed to the United Nations High Court for such a verdict, but a decision is unlikely to come in the coming years.
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2024-07-16 09:52:28
