The territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana has taken on a new nuance with the position of the United States Department of State, by ingratiating itself with Georgetown, which has initiated a bidding process for oil and gas blocks in territory historically claimed by Caracas.
(Also read: What comes next after the ICJ ruled against Venezuela in a dispute with Guyana?)
Venezuela denounced that the activities are carried out in the maritime limits of Essequibo – in dispute with Guyana – and that that country is “disposing of maritime areas that are within the area in dispute between both countries, a territory of 160,000 square kilometers.” , adding that Guyana “does not possess sovereign rights over these areas.”
“The United States supports Guyana’s sovereign right to develop its own natural resources. Efforts to infringe on Guyana’s sovereignty are unacceptable. “We call on Venezuela to respect international law, including the 1899 arbitration award and the ongoing ICJ process between Guyana and Venezuela,” she wrote on the social network Brian A. Nichols, United States Undersecretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs.
The US supports Guyana’s sovereign right to develop its own natural resources. Efforts to infringe on Guyana’s sovereignty are unacceptable. We call on Venezuela to respect international law, including the 1899 arbitration award and the process…
— Brian A. Nichols (@WHAAsstSecty) September 20, 2023
Given this, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry responded in a statement that “the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela rejects the opportunist and interventionist position expressed by the Department of State of the United States of America in relation to the claims of the Guyanese government that aspires to ignore the legitimate rights of the Venezuelan people on their territory.”
Guyana had already expressed its disagreement with Venezuela and reiterated that Caracas’s position meant an attack. Georgetown started in December 2022the first round of bidding for oil blocks, which closed on September 12.
Venezuela also charged against the secretary general of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagro, who wrote in X: “We vehemently condemn the intimidating tactics that seek to undermine the principle of “good neighborliness.” We recognize Guyana’s right to welcome investors. Guyana must preserve its territorial integrity and security by addressing its case with Venezuela at the @CIJ_ICJ.”
2/2 They must be very clear that Venezuela will defend its legitimate rights against the masters or against their puppets disguised as false progressivism to wash a face already stained by its surrender to Exxon Mobil.
Guyana must respect international law rather than… https://t.co/1Lo1up1Nc0— Delcy Rodríguez (@delcyrodriguezv) September 20, 2023
To which Vice President Delcy Rodríguez replied: “This absurdity is always present when it comes to violating International Law, the sovereignty of States and their territorial integrity. @Almagro_OEA2015 joins the clique of Exxon Mobil employees to attack Venezuela. Guyana violates the Geneva Agreement and its own sovereignty to make offerings to transnational interests. We will not allow Guyana to unilaterally dispose of maritime territory that has not yet been delimited. Venezuela will assert its legitimate rights forever. “The sun of Venezuela is born in Essequibo.”
Venezuela and Guyana have a long-standing dispute over the Essequibo territory, which has historically belonged to Venezuela.However, historical processes and decisions have allowed Guyana’s claim to space. Now both countries are maintaining a dispute in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) due to Georgetown’s proceedings, even though Venezuela does not recognize the jurisdiction of the organization.
The Essequibo issue is one of the few in which both the ruling party and the opposition have the same positions and consensus, making it a sensitive issue for both parties.
ANA MARÍA RODRÍGUEZ BRAZÓN
TIME CORRESPONDENT
CARACAS
With information from Efe and AFP
#unleashes #tension #territorial #dispute #Venezuela #Guyana #happened