The government of Venezuela assured this Sunday that it keeps its alerts on after United Kingdom announced the sending of one of its warships to Guyanaone of its former colonies, in the middle of the territorial dispute between both South American countries.
“We remain alert to these provocations that put the peace and stability of the Caribbean and our America at risk,” the Venezuelan Minister of Defense expressed on X (formerly Twitter). Vladimir Padrino Lópezwho believes that this announcement threatens the agreements signed in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on December 14 between Caracas and Georgetown.
That day, the leaders of Venezuela and Guyana, Nicolás Maduro and Irfaan Ali, respectively, they agreed not to threaten each other and to “avoid incidents” on the disputed territory, of about 160,000 square kilometers, to reduce the tension that had escalated in the previous weeks.
“And the commitment to good neighborliness and peaceful coexistence? And the agreement not to threaten and use force on each other under any circumstances?” Padrino López questioned, after remembering that the British ship will reach waters that Venezuela considers pending “to be delimited”, even though Guyana He sees them as an integral part of his geography.
Minutes before, in another message, the head of Defense had called to defend the Guyana Essequibathe area under dispute, in his Christmas message.
As reported this Sunday by the British network ‘BBC’, the United Kingdom is preparing to send the ship as a “show of military and diplomatic support” to Guyana, which controls the disputed area.
The controversy escalated after Venezuela approved on December 3, in a unilateral referendum, to annex the Essequiboand the Maduro Government will order the settlement of a military division near the area in dispute, among other measures.
A spokesman for the British Ministry of Defense confirmed this Thursday that the HMS Trenta British ship that had been deployed to the Caribbean to fight drug trafficking, has been reassigned following threats from Venezuela to annex this oil-rich territory.
“HSM Trent will visit our regional allies and colleagues from Commonwelath Guyana later this month as part of a series of engagements in the region during his Atlantic patrol deployment,” the spokesperson said.
