US Army and Guyana Strengthen Military Partnership

According to the website of the U.S. Embassy in Guyana, from November 27-29, commanders of the U.S. Army's 1st Security Forces Assistance Brigade (SFAB) and the Guyana Defense Force (GDF) met as part of the strong U.S.-Guyana military partnership.

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This meeting took place when Venezuela will hold a referendum on December 3 to reaffirm its sovereignty over the disputed region and Guyana is strengthening its presence in the area.

The SFAB Advisors stated, “We are thankful for the opportunity to train with the Guyana Defense Force as our partners and friends.  We look forward to deepening the partnership in the weeks and months to come.”

Last November 24 the Guyanese authorities raised high a flag of their country in the area in dispute with Venezuela, something that was taken as a provocation by the other side.

Guyana also raised the possibility of installing military bases in the disputed area: "We have never been interested in military bases, but we have to protect our national interest", declared Guyana's Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, at a press conference last Thursday, November 24.

The Venezuelan Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino, called the approach a provocation: "With those styles and those forms of 'neighborhood handsome' we are not going to resolve this matter.” "It is not like that, calling on the Southern Command  to establish a base of operations in that territory is not like that, it is not with that arrogance."

"We are now in the national union for the recovery of Guyana Esequiba, to stop the abuses of ExxonMobil, to stop the abuses of the president of Guyana (...), provocative puppet of ExxonMobil, to stop the abuses intended by the Southern Command of the United States," said the Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro this Friday in an event broadcast on national public television.