US Military Presence in Guyana is a Threat to LATAM: Venezuela

On Wednesday, Venezuela rejected the announcement made by Guyana that indicates the intention to increase the US military presence in that country. Below is the statement posted by the Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Yvan Gil:

RELATED: 

Maduro Asks Guyana to Cease Provocations in Territorial Dispute

"The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, faithful to its Bolivarian Peace Diplomacy Doctrine, joint announcement made by the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the United States Government, which reports an increase in military presence in the region with the aim of protecting American energy companies. This constitutes the greatest threat to the stability of the Caribbean and Latin America.

President Irfaan Ali continues to refuse to engage in direct dialogue with Venezuela to resolve the territorial dispute, as mandated by the 1966 Geneva Agreement.

Instead, he enters into agreements with the most aggressive military power in human history, which, through its so-called Southern Command, has been conducting military operations in an area with substantial energy resources that are being illegally exploited by Exxon Mobil.

Venezuela warns the international community, and especially the countries of the Caribbean, about the dangerous maneuvers of Guyana, which seeks to escalate a conflict driven by the excessive financial appetite of its ruling class and its stubborn refusal to comply with international norms, continuing oil exploration and exploitation in an undelimited maritime area with Venezuela.

The Venezuelan people will continue to mobilize, denouncing Guyana's warlike position, and on December 3, they will make history through the Popular Referendum, establishing the guiding principles for continuing to protect their legitimate and historical rights over the Esequibo region in accordance with International Law."

The Venezuelan government's previous statement was a response to statements made on Tuesday, when Nicole Theriot, the U.S. ambassador to Guyana, announced that her country will enhance defense cooperation to achieve security and address transversal threats.

"We all have a lot of important work to do, and together I believe we can and will address the shared challenges in our collective neighborhood, no matter how daunting they may seem," Theriot said at a press conference with Guyanese President Ali.

Previously, Venezuela denounced that Luis Almagro, the secretary of the Organization of American States (OAS), was acting against Bolivarian interests through a tacit alliance with the United States and Guyana in the dispute over the Essequibo territory.

On Dec. 3, Venezuela will hold a consultative referendum through which its citizen will rule on the sovereignty of their nation over Guayana Esequiba.

The dispute over the Essequibo region, an oil-rich area of about 160,000 square kilometers that belonged to the Spanish Captaincy of Venezuela, dates back to the late 19th century when the British Empire sought to expand its influence in South America.

In 1899, an arbitration tribunal in Paris awarded most of the disputed territory to British Guiana. Venezuela immediately rejected the plundering of its territory and began a process of defense of its sovereign rights that continues to this day.

In 1966, three months before Guyana became independent, the Geneva Agreement recognized Venezuela's claim and proposed the search for satisfactory solutions for the practical settlement of the border dispute, following the parameters established in Article 33 of the United Nations Charter.