Caracas, Dec 24 (EFE) – The Venezuelan government said Sunday it remains on “alert” after the United Kingdom announced it would be sending one of its warships to Guyana, its former colony, in the thick of a territorial dispute between the two South American countries.
“We remain alert in the face of these provocations that jeopardize the peace and stability of the Caribbean and our America,” said Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino on X (formerly Twitter), noting that this announcement threatens the agreements signed on Dec. 14 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines between Caracas and Georgetown.
On that day, the presidents of Venezuela and Guyana, Nicolás Maduro and Irfaan Ali, agreed not to threaten each other and to “avoid incidents” over the disputed territory, which covers some 160,000 square kilometers, in order to reduce tensions that had risen in recent weeks.
“What about the commitment to be good neighbors and live together peacefully? And what about the agreement not to threaten or use force against each other under any circumstances?” asked Padrino López, after pointing out that the British ship would be entering waters that Venezuela considers as still “to be delimited”, even though Guyana considers them an integral part of its geography.
Minutes earlier, in another message, the Minister of Defense, in his Christmas message, had called for the defense of the disputed area of Essequiba Guayana, as Venezuela calls the state it intends to create.
According to the BBC, the United Kingdom is preparing to send the ship as a “show of diplomatic and military support” to Guyana, which controls the disputed area.
The controversy is centuries old but escalated recently after Venezuela approved the annexation of the region west of the Essequibo river in a unilateral referendum on Dec. 3, and Maduro’s government ordered, among other things, the establishment of a military division near the disputed area.
A spokesman for Britain’s Ministry of Defense confirmed Thursday that HMS Trent, a British ship deployed in the Caribbean to fight drug trafficking, had been reassigned following Venezuela’s threats to annex the oil-rich territory.
“HMS Trent will visit regional ally and Commonwealth partner Guyana later this month as part of a series of engagements in the region during her Atlantic Patrol Task deployment,” the spokesman said. EFE hp/ics
