US pronounces flight drills, stresses ‘unwavering support’ for Guyana’s sovereignty amid rising border tensions.
The United States has mentioned it’ll conduct joint flight drills with Guyana amid rising border tensions between Guyana and Venezuela.
The long-running dispute over the oil-rich Essequibo area, which is being heard by the International Court 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.
The US embassy in Georgetown mentioned in a press release on Thursday that US Southern Command, which oversees navy operations in Central and South America, would “conduct flight operations with the Guyanese military” on Thursday.
The assertion mentioned the drills have been a part of “routine engagement and operations to enhance [the] security partnership between the United States and Guyana” however has been broadly interpreted as an effort to discourage navy intervention by Venezuela.
Caracas rejected the US announcement of flights as a “provocation”.
In a while Thursday, White Home nationwide safety spokesperson John Kirby mentioned Washington supported a peaceable decision to the border dispute.
“We absolutely stand by our unwavering support for Guyana’s sovereignty,” he instructed reporters.
Following the vote, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has authorised oil exploration in Essequibo, in a transfer that drew the ire of Guyana President Irfaan Ali.
“We have initiated a number of precautionary measures to ensure the peace and stability of this region,” Ali mentioned.
“Should Venezuela proceed to act in this reckless and adventurous manner, the region will have to respond,” he instructed The Related Press information company.
There are rising considerations throughout South America that the tensions might spiral right into a navy confrontation.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva mentioned that multilateral teams should assist discover a peaceable answer to the dispute.
“We do not want and we do not need war in South America,” Lula mentioned on Thursday.
The information outlet Reuters reported that Brazil’s military intelligence has detected a build-up in Venezuelan forces close to the border with Guyana, citing an unnamed senior navy official.
