The Venezuelan President orders the conduct of military defense exercises on the border with Guyana
The United Kingdom is calling on Venezuela to stop military exercises in the border region with Guyana.
On Thursday, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said he had determined that around 5,600 Venezuelan soldiers would be conducting military exercises in front of the disputed water borders with Guyana (read more about the dispute below).
A British government spokesman said the ship, HMS Trent, was en route to Guyana as part of a series of routine operations. The British government said the ship had already been in the Caribbean on a mission.
The spokesman also said that the British government was in contact with “partners” in the region to prevent escalation and that it was monitoring the situation.
For the British, there is no controversy about the boundaries of the countries' territories, as the issue has been resolved since 1899, when there was international arbitration on the issue.
Around 125,000 people live in Essequibo, which occupies two thirds of the country's area, a fifth of Guyana's population.
1 of 1 Nicolás Maduro has published a map covering part of the territory of Guyana Photo: JN Nicolás Maduro has published a map covering part of the territory of Guyana Photo: JN
Venezuela claims that Essequibo, a 160,000 km² region rich in natural resources, is part of its territory. In 1899 there was an arbitration decision over the area and it was decided at that time that Essequibo belonged to Guyana, a British colony at the time.
In the 1960s, before Guyana became independent, Venezuela and the United Kingdom signed an agreement that allowed the 1899 decision to be reviewed. Guyana is now petitioning the International Court of Justice to ratify the 1899 document.