A British Navy ship, the HSM Trent, will arrive in Guyana as a diplomatic gesture following growing tensions with Venezuela over the Essequibo region. The ship, initially deployed to combat drug trafficking, will change its mission to support Guyana, a former British colony. The event is part of an escalation of tensions between the two South American countries over said territory, rich in mineral and oil reserves.
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A British ship will arrive in Guyana. This is a nod to one of the former colonies of the United Kingdom after the escalation of tensions with Venezuela over the Essequibo.
“HSM Trent will visit our regional allies and Commonwealth partners Guyana later this month as part of a series of engagements in the region during her Atlantic patrol deployment,” a British Ministry of Defense spokesperson said.
Furthermore, he added that the British ship had been deployed in the Caribbean to fight against drug trafficking and that it will now change its mission to reach Guyanese territory.
According to the 'BBC', the United Kingdom's public radio, television and Internet service, it is of a show of military and diplomatic support. In addition, the media indicated that the ship will participate in military maneuvers with other allies of Guyana, without specifying which ones.
It is not the first time that the United Kingdom has shown its support for Guyana since the escalation of tensions: earlier this week the head of diplomacy in America, David Rutley, visited the country.
Facts that are not surprising, since in addition to belonging to the Commonwealth, the country was a British colony until 1966, when it became independent and changed its name from British Guiana to Guyana.
Why have tensions increased over Essequibo?
Although tensions were already latent, they have been exacerbated since December 3, when Venezuela approved a unilateral referendum to annex Essequibo. It is a territory of 160,000 square kilometers, equivalent to two-thirds of Guyana, and has large reserves of minerals and oil.
In addition, President Nicolás Maduro ordered the transfer of a military division near the site. A determination that raised fears of an escalation of war in the Latin American region.
However, On December 15, the president met with his Guyanese counterpart, Irfaan Ali, to reduce tensions. Although the leaders did not reach a resolution to the root disputes, they pledged not to use force.
The long dispute between Venezuela and Guyana over the Essequibo
The disagreements between both countries over the Essequibo are not new. In fact, it can go back centuries. And it is marked by two milestones.
The first occurred in 1899, when the so-called Paris Arbitration Award was consolidated. It was a ruling by an arbitration court that sought to resolve the territorial dispute between Venezuela and the United Kingdom over the Essequibo.
This award awarded most of the disputed territory to Guyana and left Venezuela with a smaller portion. And it is precisely the greatest argument that the Guyanese side has to argue that Essequibo belongs to them.
Read alsoEssequibo: a long dispute reactivated by the promise of riches
However, this is not recognized by Venezuela, which appeals to the 1966 Geneva Agreement—the second key moment to understand the dispute. A document signed by Venezuela, the United Kingdom and Guyana to resolve the territorial dispute over the Essequibo and establishes principles and procedures for the peaceful resolution of the controversy.
The conflict had decreased in intensity until in 2015 when the Exxon Mobil company announced the discovery of oil reserves estimated between 5,500 to 8,000 million barrels.
Since then, the dispute has not ceased and Maduro has been emphatic in wanting to “retake” the territory that, according to him, belongs to Venezuela.
With EFE, AFP and local media
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