© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A member of the Nationwide Meeting of the Meeting holds a map displaying the disputed Esequibo area as a part of Venezuela, as tensions between the Venezuela and Guyana have ratcheted up in latest weeks over a long-running territorial dispute, in
By Steve Holland and Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White Home on Thursday reiterated the US’ “unwavering support” for Guyana’s sovereignty amid rising border tensions between Guyana and Venezuela.
The long-running spat over the oil-rich Esequibo area, which is being heard by the Worldwide Court docket of Justice (ICJ), escalated over the weekend when voters in Venezuela rejected the ICJ’s jurisdiction and backed the creation of a brand new Venezuelan state.
Guyana has questioned the vote’s legitimacy, put its armed forces on excessive alert, and stated Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is disregarding ICJ orders about taking no motion to vary the established order in Esequibo.
“We absolutely stand by our unwavering support for Guyana’s sovereignty,” White Home nationwide safety spokesperson John Kirby (NYSE:) informed reporters, including Washington supported a peaceable decision to the border dispute between Venezuela and Guyana.
The U.S. State Division earlier this week stated it thinks the Venezuela-Guyana border dispute can’t be settled by means of a referendum.
The US has additionally stated it will conduct flight operations inside Guyana that construct on its routine engagement. The U.S. Southern Command, which offers safety cooperation in Latin America, was scheduled to conduct flight operations with the Guyanese army inside Guyana on Thursday, the U.S. embassy in Georgetown stated.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Guyanese President Irfaan Ali late on Wednesday, the State Division stated earlier.
Analysts and sources in Caracas have stated the referendum was a effort by Maduro to point out power and gauge his authorities’s assist forward of the 2024 election, slightly than representing an actual chance of army motion.
