Guyana warned that it “will not tolerate” the annexation of Essequibo by Venezuela

The Government of Guyana warned that it “will not tolerate the annexation or occupation of any part of its sovereign territory,” after the announcement by the official leader, Nicolás Maduro, about the ‘Organic Law for the Defense of Guayana Esequiba’.

Through a statement released this Thursday, Guyana put “on notice” of its determination to the Governments of Venezuela and the countries of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), of which Georgetown is a part.

It also notifies the governments of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) and the secretaries general of the United Nations, António Guterres, and the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro.

“Guyana has always respected the principles of the United Nations Charter, the rule of law and the peaceful resolution of disputes,” the note highlighted.

For Georgetown, this attempt by Caracas to annex more than two-thirds of Guyana’s territory and make it part of Venezuela is ““a flagrant violation of the most fundamental principles of international law enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.”

The ‘Organic Law for the Defense of Guayana Esequiba’ was approved in March by Parliament, and promulgated yesterday.

The law contradicts the agreement between Maduro and Ali

The statement states that The law contradicts the agreement that Maduro and the Guyanese president, Irfaan Ali, agreed on December 14 in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, that they would not threaten or use force due to bilateral conflicts, such as the current one over the sovereignty of Essequibo.

The official note also indicated that they have not gone unnoticed «“offensive and unworthy statements” of Maduro on Ali and that the aforementioned December agreement is seen «“again seriously threatened by the words and actions” of the Venezuelan president.

According to Maduro, the United States maintains secret military bases in Essequibo, belonging to the Southern Command and the CIA, to “prepare attacks.”

He also said that Ali does not govern his country, which is, as he denounced, governed by the US military and by the US oil company ExxonMobil, which exploits wealth in the area in question, with authorization from Georgetown.

*With information from EFE*