In a statement on Thursday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro expressed concern that the deployment of a British warship near the coast of Guyana violates the agreement made between Venezuelan and Guyanese authorities earlier this month.
The agreement was reached to prevent the use of force and to reduce tensions in the ongoing border dispute over the oil-rich Essequibo territory.
The disputed 160,000-square-km (62,000-square-mile) Essequibo region is widely recognized as part of Guyana. However, in recent years, Venezuela has reasserted its claim to the territory and offshore areas following significant oil and gas discoveries.
The Royal Navy patrol vessel, HMS Trent, is currently visiting Guyana, a former British colony and ally. The UK’s defense ministry previously stated that the visit was part of a series of regional engagements without mentioning Venezuela or the border dispute.
Maduro stated, “It is the breaking of the spirit of dialogue, diplomacy, and peace of the agreements,” referring to the deployment as “practically a military threat from London.”
In response, Maduro has ordered “the activation of a joint defensive action of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces” off the coast of Essequibo. However, further details were not provided during the state televised broadcast.
Military leaders in Venezuela’s east announced during the broadcast that 5,600 uniformed personnel were prepared for the operation.
According to a statement from Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry, the country “reserves all actions, within the framework of the Constitution and International Law, to defend its maritime and territorial integrity.”
(Reporting by Vivian Sequera and Mayela Armas; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Leslie Adler)
