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The flag of Guyana pinned on the map. Horizontal orientation. Macro photography.
On Saturday, the Government of Guyana made a statement claiming that they have been provided with satellite imagery evidence from friendly Western allies, which shows movements of Venezuelan military near the eastern border shared by the two countries.
According to Guyanese officials, the administration of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is violating a peace agreement signed in December 2020 which was aimed at easing tensions between the two nations over border demarcation lines.
Hugh Todd, Guyana’s Foreign Minister, and Robert Persaud, Foreign Secretary, confirmed that their country is closely monitoring the situation along the river border.
The dispute over the border lines between the two countries has been going on for several decades.
Venezuela has been claiming the mineral-rich Essequibo region, which makes up about two-thirds of Guyana’s total land area.
In December 2020, the two countries agreed to the Argyle Agreement on the island of St Vincent, in which they pledged to refrain from using force or threatening each other, with talks being brokered by Brazil and Caribbean governments.
However, Guyanese officials have condemned Venezuela for not complying with the agreement, while expressing disappointment but not surprise at their neighbour’s lack of good faith.
The Venezuelan government is yet to respond to the allegations made by Guyana.
Todd stated that he had raised the issue with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil during a joint commission meeting held in Brazil last month, pointing out that there were inconsistencies between Venezuela’s diplomatic activities on the international front and their military posture back home.
The US Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) recently posted satellite images that showed Venezuela is expanding its base on Ankoko Island, half of which was seized from Guyana by Venezuela in the mid-1960s.
The images also revealed significant infrastructure improvements of roads and other facilities near the two areas.
Persaud emphasized that Guyana would continue to respect the Argyle Declaration, and hopes that Venezuela would do the same.
The border issue between the two countries has been taken to the World Court in the Netherlands for a definitive ruling by Guyana, while Venezuela has said that it prefers direct bilateral talks as the way forward.
The Venezuelan Defense Ministry had accused Guyana on Friday of threatening the St Vincent agreement by irresponsible actions and media deception.
It also accused US oil giant ExxonMobil of collaborating with the Guyanese government and the US military to exploit oil and gas resources in waters claimed by Venezuela.
The President of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, is expected to meet with President Maduro for a second summit in March to discuss the border issue. In recent weeks, several top American administration and military officials have visited Guyana as a show of support.
Moreover, the US has provided military overflights to monitor Venezuelan troops and other activities at the height of tensions in December 2020, in the days leading up to a December 3 referendum in Venezuela that had authorized the annexation of the Essequibo.
There is an error in the date of December 2020 on the Guyana and Venezuela border dispute. Please do the necessary research and editing to the article.