Archive image of Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López. EFE/Miguel Gutierrez
The Venezuelan dictatorship confirmed this on Sunday through Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino The Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) is “prepared for any scenario” amid the dispute with Guyana. Essequiboafter both countries met on Thursday and agreed not to threaten each other or use force.
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“It was possible to return to the path of dialogue to resolve the conflict over the Essequibo Territory. “This (…) in no way means a minimal renunciation of our claim, of our non-recognition of the International Court of Justice in this matter, and even less does it mean that the Bolivarian National Armed Forces are not prepared for this scenario,” he said. Godfather.
At an event in honor of Liberator Simon Bolívarbroadcast by state broadcaster VTV, pointed out that “currently the turbulent world geopolitics, characterized by the “race for hydrocarbons,” is once again putting the rich territory and its seas “in the crosshairs of imperial powers.” , who “are prepared to take the most heinous measures to prevent their decline.”
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“We will simply be prepared for any situation of this kind.“, assured the Vice President for Political Sovereignty, Security and Peace, also sectoral, adding that we remain “vigilant” in the face of this situation in which “transnational companies, acting like a state within a state, have their hands in the game”. become .”
The Presidents of Guyana and Venezuela, Mohamed Irfaan Ali and Nicolás Maduro, met last week in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (EUROPA PRESS)
Padrino attended a meeting with the dictator on Saturday Nicolas Madurowho expressed that his country is “fighting a historic battle” to regain peace. Guyana Essequiba (as the Venezuelan regime calls it), noting that Thursday's meeting in St. Vincent and the Grenadines with his Guyanese counterpart, Irfaan Aliwas a “special milestone on the path to asserting” Venezuela’s “historic rights.”
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At Thursday's meeting, both countries also committed to continuing “dialogue on all other outstanding issues of mutual importance.” Refrain from “escalating, whether in words or actions, any conflict or disagreement arising from a controversy.”.
The controversy escalated after Venezuela agreed to the annexation of the disputed territory, an area of nearly 160,000 square kilometers, in a unilateral referendum on December 3 – intended to be binding – and ordered the placement of a military division near the disputed area without exception Moment.
When Venezuela officially became independent from Spain in 1811, Essequibo was under his rule, but years later the British took possession of some territories, which they expanded until they formed what was known as British Guiana.
Faced with Venezuela's rejection, the dispute was settled through international arbitration in 1899 The so-called Paris Arbitration Award determined that the area remained under British rule.
Decades later, Venezuela annulled the ruling and signed the Geneva Convention with the United Kingdom in 1966, which established a commission to resolve the controversy. The same year after Guyana gained independence from the United Kingdom, it began to control the Essequibo.
The case is currently pending International Court of Justice (IGH). Guyana assures that it will respect the decision of the international court, but Venezuela denies that it has jurisdiction to resolve the dispute.
About 125,000 people live in Essequiboof Guyana's 800,000 residents, mostly members of the indigenous Arawako community.
Other indigenous groups that populate the area include Arekuna, Akawaio, Kariña, Makushi, Patamuná, Sarao, Wapishana and Wai Wai.
The Essequibo River divides the region as it passes through Kurupukari, Guyana (AP/FILE)
The predominant language is Englishlike the rest of Guyana, but the indigenous communities also have their own languages.
It is an area of 159,500 square kilometers that covers two-thirds of Guyana and virtually six of the country's ten regions.
The entire Barima-Waini, Pomeroon-Supenaam and Cuyuni-Mazaruni regions as well as much of the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo, Potaro-Siparuni and Essequibo Islands-West Demerara regions lie in this area.
This jungle region west of the Essequibo River borders Venezuela, which calls the area Guiana Esequiba, and Brazil.
Essequibo has mineral reserves of gold, bauxite, diamonds, copper and iron. Among other things, it is home to the Omai gold mine, a major source of income for Guyana.
It also has diverse flora and fauna, important water resources and fertile land, giving it great agricultural potential.
Its territorial waters contain large reserves of oil and natural gas, most of which are concentrated in the block. Stabroek.
He has been an American since 2015 ExxonMobil The discovery of petroleum in this area has transformed Guyana from one of the poorest countries in South America to one with the highest economic growth in the world (57.8% in 2022).
These reserves, estimated at about 11,000 million barrels of oil, along with political problems caused tensions between Georgetown and Caracas over Essequibo to increase until reaching the current crisis.
(With information from EFE)