The Government of Venezuela condemned the authorization issued by the President of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, regarding the presence of the United States Southern Command in the territory of Guayana Esequiba.
“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela condemns the recent statements of President Irfaan Ali, who has irresponsibly given the green light to the presence of the United States Southern Command in the territory of Guyana Essequiba, over which Guyana maintains a de facto occupation”, warned the South American nation.
In addition, it was denounced that before the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac), that the government of Guyana, “under the mandate of the American transnational Exxon Mobil, is opening the possibility of installing military bases to an imperial power, threatening the zone of peace that has been outlined in this region”.
Consultative referendum in Venezuela
In the midst of tensions that have increased between Venezuela and Guyana, the government of the Bolivarian nation held a consultative referendum on the defense of Guayana Esequiba, in which more than 10.5 million citizens attended to vote.
As a result, the National Electoral Council of Venezuela highlighted the broad support for the consultative referendum on the undelimited territory of Essequibo that is in dispute, with more than 95% in favor of defending the sovereignty of this site.
The popular consultation in Venezuela takes place after the Government of Guyana received offers for 8 of the 14 oil blocks up for bid, including the participation of ExxonMobil, a US company. This coincides with an increase in the United States military presence in that disputed area.
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The sovereignty conflict over the undelimited territory of Essequibo, which covers around 160,000 square kilometers and has considerable oil reserves, has been a source of dispute between Caracas and Georgetown for more than a century.
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Despite an agreement in 1966 to seek a peaceful solution to this dispute, in 2018, Guyana took the case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), requesting legal validation of the 1899 arbitration award, which gives Guyana absolute control over the territory. Venezuela is firmly opposed to this.
