Imperial Powers Meddle in The Essequibo Issue, Venezuela Warns

May 14, 2024 Hour: 10:46 am

On Monday, Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Yvan Gil denounced that the United States and the United Kingdom persist in involving themselves in the dispute between Venezuela and Guyana over the Essequibo, a 160,000-square-kilometers territory rich in natural resources.

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During a meeting of the United Nations Charter Defense Group, Gil described as provocations the presence of a warship from the British navy in undelimited waters and the overflight of two U.S. planes on the border of the Essequibo Guayana.

In May 9, the U.S. Embassy in Guyana confirmed that, with the collaboration and approval of the Guyanese government, the overflight would be carried out with two U.S. Navy aircraft, F/A-18F Super Hornets, embarked on the USS George Washington aircraft carrier.

Previously, from May 6 to 8, Julie Nethercot, the director of Strategy, Policies, and Plans of the U.S. Southern Command (SouthCom), visited to oversee “strategic planning, policy development, and coordination of security cooperation for Latin America and the Caribbean.”

The new map of #Venezuela , which now depicts the nation as a whole by including the #GuayanaEssequiba region, toured the vicinities of the National Assembly. pic.twitter.com/P3dAGsZ0Rb

— Gladys Quesada (@GladysteleSUR)
January 5, 2024

Guyana has approved several oil licenses in the Essequibo, a territory that belongs to Venezuela’s national heritage. One of these concessions was approved on April 13 in favor of the U.S. company ExxonMobil in undelimited maritime areas.

The Essequibo conflict reached its highest point after Venezuela held a referendum in December whereby the people decided to protect sovereignty over the Guayana Essequiba.

In correspondence with the popular mandate, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered measures such as the establishment of a military division near the area.

Gil reiterated that the territorial controversy “only concerns Guyana and Venezuela” and affirmed that both nations will resolve this territorial dispute through direct negotiations.

#INVIDEO �� | In Tocopero, Falcón state, #Venezuela ��, the hometown of the president, Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro), affectionately welcomes the president. pic.twitter.com/VjqzwN8JSV

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish)
May 7, 2024