Venezuela Vs. Guyana Dispute: Brazil Expresses Concern as Venezuela Holds Naval Exercises Amid Essequibo Dispute

The neighbors bordering Guyana and Venezuela are now expressing concern as the two South American countries's dispute over the oil-rich Essequibo region continues, with Brazil being the one ringing the alarm bells as Venezuela begins naval exercises.

The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on Friday, expressing concern over the intensifying territorial dispute between its two neighbors over Essequibo, which is internationally recognized to be part of Guyana but is claimed by Venezuela.

Brazil is now urging both nations to return to dialogue and added that third countries should avoid "military activities" that support either side. This came after the United Kingdom sent a warship to Guyana to support its former colony.

Brazil also urged both countries to commit to last week's Argyle Declaration, an agreement signed by both countries' respective presidents. In that declaration, both countries agreed that they would solve the Essequibo dispute via nonviolent means.

The two South American countries are claiming Essequibo, which makes up 2/3 of Guyana's land mass. It is sparsely populated, according to the Associated Press, and is about the size of Florida. However, it is rich in oil and minerals.

Venezuela Accuses Guyana of Violating the Argyle Declaration

Despite signing the declaration when Venezuelan and Guyanese leaders met in St. Vincent last week, Guyana's President Irfan Ali stated that his country will continue to reserve its right to work with its partners to ensure the defense of its territory. This includes having the UK send the warship HMS Trent to the country's shores, according to NPR.

However, Maduro was not happy with this and accused Guyana of betraying the spirit of the Argyle Declaration. The Venezuelan president slammed Guyana and said, "We will not let anyone push us around," before calling the UK's decision to send the HMS Trent as a threat from a "decaying former empire."

However, the British Ministry of Defense stated that the warship was just visiting Guyana as part of a series of engagements in the region and would only be conducting training exercises with Guyana's military, which is expected to be far outmatched by Venezuela's.

Guyana Unlikely To Budge Over Essequibo

Guyana has control over Essequibo, with the region's mostly indigenous residents identifying more with the much-diverse Guyanese rather than their Spanish-speaking neighbors. However, tensions escalated when Maduro launched his referendum and passed it even though not many showed up to vote.

With the referendum win, Venezuela escalated the dispute by ordering the state's oil companies to issue extraction licenses in oil-rich Essequibo. This led to tensions rising and their neighbors panicking. They urged the two sides to talk in St. Vincent, which they did, and agreed not to go to war.

According to Time Magazine, despite the agreement, Guyana is not likely to budge on the border issue, with President Ali saying on national TV, "We have made it consistently clear that the issue of our border is before the ICJ and that is where it will be settled."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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