Caracas, Nov. 24 (EFE).- Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro declared Friday that all sectors of the country are in «national unity» to achieve the recovery of the Essequibo, a territory of nearly 160,000 square kilometers that his nation has disputed with Guyana since colonial times.
Earlier in the day Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said the dispute with Guyana «is not an armed war, for now.»
In a speech broadcast by state television VTV Maduro said: «We are in national unity for the recovery of the Essequibo Guayana, to stop the abuses of ExxonMobil, to stop the abuses of the president of Guyana, puppet of ExxonMobil, provocative puppet (…) we are in a permanent battle.»
The president reiterated that no country could «blackmail» Venezuela and that it would continue to defend its territory.
Earlier in the day, in a telephone call about the Dec. 3 non-binding referendum that his government is holding to ask citizens about the territorial dispute, the head of state insisted that this vote, which has been rejected by Guyana, is «the greatest act of peace» his country has ever made.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said the dispute with Guyana «is not an armed war, for now,» and called on Venezuelans to vote in the Dec. 3 election.
«Go out and vote (in the referendum). This is not an armed war, for now,» said the minister, assuring that the troops of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces will be «permanently vigilant» regarding «any action against the territorial integrity» of the country.
Meanwhile, Guyanese Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said Thursday that representatives of the US Department of Defense will visit Guyana next week as part of collaboration that Georgetown is exploring with its allies to prepare for every eventuality in the dispute with Venezuela.
The centuries-old territorial dispute has reignited in recent years after the discovery in 2015 by oil giant Exxon Mobil of 1 billion barrels of oil off the coast of the small Latin American country.
In September, Guyana opened an auction for 14 new offshore oil and gas exploration blocks. EFE
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