The President of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, He stated that this country and its allies are ready to respond to a possible military invasion of Venezuela, after a referendum was held in this country seeking to annex Essequibo, which is from Guyana, to Venezuela. and establish administrative control over that area.
In an interview with the magazine Week, Ali stated: “We are very concerned about this very open challenge by President Maduro of Venezuela regarding the order of the International Court (of Justice).”
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The president of the South American country explained that “before the referendum, Guyana went to seek provisional measures before the ICJ and it issued an order and asked both parties to do everything to maintain the peace and stability of this region, and Venezuela in particular asked and told him that he cannot act on any of the referendum issues.
Ali specified that the ICJ ordered that the ‘status quo’ must remain, that is, that Essequibo is part of the territory of Guyana, and Guyana administers governance there.” He highlighted that ““Despite this order, President Maduro announced a series of actions in complete defiance of the Court and international law.”
It is worth remembering that the Venezuelan president announced that he will establish an administrative mechanism over Essequibo, which will issue certificates and grant licenses and permits for mining, exploration and exploitation in that territory. In addition, he gave an ultimatum for all companies to withdraw from Essequibo within a period of three months.
The President of Guyana stressed that due to Venezuela’s intentions “we are adhering to international laws and turning to the international system, in accordance with the UN Charter, so that all organizations are involved and that we remain a zone of peace.”
‘We are enlisting’
The president of Guyana said that they officially informed the United Nations Security Council of Venezuela’s claims. “We have informed all our allies and have begun to have defense conversations with them to ensure that Guyana is in a state of readiness for this tremendous threat from Venezuela,” declared the president.
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Ali pointed out that Venezuela’s claims represent a “threat to the stability of the region, it is a direct threat to Guyana and the companies that operate here.” However, he expressed that he has “the hope that consensus will prevail and that Maduro and Venezuela are not going to act in an adventurous and very irresponsible way.”
Ali specified that Guyana’s borders are defined in a 19th century agreement.
‘Maduro has internal problems’
Regarding the motivations that President Maduro has, the president of Guyana expressed: “There are many people who say that Maduro is doing this because of his internal political situation and the problems he is facing in Venezuela. But we have to ensure that our sovereignty and territorial integrity cannot be compromised in any way.
You must stand for the international order and adhere to the guidelines of the ICJ, stand firm for what is right, stand on the side of Guyana and its defense.
For the Guyanese Head of State, the stability of the region is in danger due to Maduro’s claims. “I think this is very important for the region, which has always worked to seek and ensure that we are a zone of peace.. We have not had behavior so irrational that it threatens the existence of another country. “I believe that the peace and stability of the region is at stake.”
Asked if Guyana is militarily prepared in the event of an invasion by Maduro, Ali said: “Our state of preparedness is based on international law, diplomacy and following international guidelines and rules in this controversy. “Of course, we have built alliances with our friends and on all those fronts we are working. We have enhanced defense cooperation with many of our allies and the assurance that many of them are going to be on our side.”
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Regarding the position of President Gustavo Petro on this issue, the President of Guyana maintained that “I would tell him that he must be on the right side of history, respect the sovereignty and territory of Guyana. He must stand up for the international order and adhere to the ICJ guidelines, to stand firm for what is right, to stand on the side of Guyana and its defense.”
He added that President Petro must “send a very strong and forceful signal to Venezuela that Colombia will not allow Maduro to annex any region or territory to his country and that Colombia will not allow this region to be destabilized.”
Ali revealed that he has not spoken to President Petro. “We are working to have communication with President Petro in the next few hours, but on the part of the Guyana Defense and the Colombian Forces there is a continuation of dialogue.”
Person carries a picture of a map of Venezuela
FERNANDO UMAÑA MEJÍA
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