Caracas.- The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Madurosaid on Thursday that the sending of a United Kingdom warship to the coast of Guyana represents a breach of the “spirit” of an agreement reached between the authorities of both countries.
Guyana and Venezuela they agreed at the beginning of the month to avoid the use of force and not intensify tensions in the long border dispute over the territory of the Essequibo.
The Essequibo, about 160,000 square kilometers, It is generally recognized as part of Guyana, but in recent years Venezuela has revived its claim to the territory and coastal areas following significant oil and gas discoveries.
United Kingdom said on December 24 that it will deploy off the coast of Guyana the royal navy patrol ship HMS Trent, without referring to Venezuela or the border dispute.
Ad “It is practically a military threat from London against our country,” he said Ripe in an event at the Ministry of Defense together with the military commanders, before adding that since the authorities agreed to avoid the presence of “extra-regional military forces in the Caribbean (…) this is a breach of the agreements.”
“It is the breaking of the spirit of dialogue, diplomacy and peace of the agreements,” added the Venezuelan president.
Maduro said he ordered “the activation of a joint defensive action by the Bolivarian National Armed Forces“off the coast of Essequibo, but did not give other details, although military leaders in the east of the country told the president in the official television broadcast that there were 5,600 uniformed personnel ready for the operation.
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The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry added in a statement that the country “reserves all actions, within the framework of the Constitution and International Law, to defend its maritime and territorial integrity,” without further details.