Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, has announced that the country’s army was on full alert after a ‘dangerous development’ regarding Venezuela’s ‘unlawful’ claim to his country’s resource-rich Essequibo region.
Essequibo comprises over two-thirds of Guyana’s territory.
“The Guyana Defence Force is on full alert and has engaged its military counterparts, including the US Southern Command,” President Ali disclosed.
His remarks followed President Nicolas Maduro’s announcement of several measures to enforce Sunday’s referendum outcome in Venezuela.
Venezuelans voted by a wide margin to approve the takeover of the disputed territory.
On Tuesday, the Venezuela leader said he would authorise oil exploration in the disputed Essequibo region.
Maduro said he had proposed a law to the government-controlled legislature to create a new state.
In addition, he declared that companies already operating in waters in the area would have three months to leave.
A consortium led by Exxon Mobil began producing oil off Guyana’s coast in late 2019, and exports started in 2020.
President Ali said Maduro’s latest remarks constituted an imminent threat to Guyana’s territorial integrity and a violation of international law.
The Guyana President promised to bring the matter before the United Nations Security Council.
He said Venezuela had declared itself an ‘outlaw nation.’
Ali also said Maduro’s stand was a blatant violation of last week’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) order for Venezuela to maintain the status quo.
He revealed that Guyana had engaged the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Commonwealth, and bilateral partners, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Brazil.
The Guyana President said he had already spoken to the United Nations Secretary-General.
Ali observed that investors in Guyana have nothing to worry about since their investments were safe.
“Our international partners and international community are ready to support us and they have assured us of their support,” Ali explained.
However he emphasised Guyana’s commitment to ensuring the region remains a zone peace and urged Venezuela and its government to do likewise.
This is going to be one of the most challenging situations that Caribbean countries are going to have to deal with, considering the relationship that both countries have with the other Caribbean countries. Some countries will, sadly, take a neutral stance.
I guess PM Pierre will not be getting his asphalt from Maduro.
The ICJ will have to bring the colonial land thieves back from the grave to deal with this situation
Maduro was in China two months ago, go figure between China, Russia, Iran and Venezuela they conspire to make the west fail so that they can export their dictator style rule around the world. First Russia Annexes Ukraine then Venezuela Annexes Guyana and then China Annexes Taiwan. They think a combined effort with make it difficult for NATO and the US to support their allies but they are wrong, they will fail.
The Ukraine war started days after the Winter Olympics ended in China, Putin was in China at that time. Xi is the leader of this gang.
People need to wake up, world war 3 started with china’s bio covid warfare.
@That Character I Really. … And I guess you will be bawling even more for road repairs since that’s all you can take away from this not instability in the region and economies for those who believe this would not affect St Lucia or the he wider Caribbean and more dumb than the village idiot
This should be a lesson for to St Lucia for when push to come to shove who will you pledge alliance to.
We will provide troops , sending all our gun slingers to the front lines. Maduro we don’t want asphalt any more we ll send tissue in stead. PJP you talk too soon baboon
@ Oh Really – and for that matter, from Guyana either. PjP is caught between a Rock and a hard place. To start with, stop teaching kids Creole, or whatever, call it patoise if you wish but its not worth a Penny in the outside world. HABLA ESPANOL?
Ali of Guyana is the Caribbean Zelenski, but at hundreds of thousands times cheaper than the coke-sniffing ex-actor handyman (he is always wearing his uniform) from Ukraine!
We’ve seen this show before with Guaido in Venezuela. Now that the Guaido ploy failed miserably he has gotten his golden parachute from US regime-change cabal – CIA (he is now a visiting professor at the Florida International University – an engineer by training, Guaidó’s appointment is at the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom, which FIU describes as a “world-class, independent, non-partisan think tank” with a mission “to advance economic and individual freedom and human prosperity.”)
Ali is betting that he can make a lot more money as a US stooge than being PM of Guyana – no doubt his CIA handlers made reference to all the properties around the world which Zelenski has acquired as a participant in the big grift organized by pedo-Joe in the US. His wife has probably heard the news of how Zelenski’s wife is able to have million-dollar shopping sprees at Cartier’s on 57th Street in NYC, so it was very easy for her to urge him to go all in with the CIA!
Good luck, pal, I hope you come out of this alive! Just a little warning; every man & woman in Venezuela is armed & trained to defend their country. Ask the CIA to relate to you how a bunch of fishermen were able to stymie a CIA invasion of Venezuela a few years back!
@Lucian Lowgrade, just because I did not mention those points does not mean that its not in the background. I just want you to see that our leaders are cozying up with 21 century colonizers in China, Russia, Venezuela and the rest of Brics gang.
And that’s the country st. Lucia government wants to aline their self with. Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are.
Russia did it so we can do it to .
@LucianLowGrade You are the village idiot. You just don’t know it. @OhReally you are speaking facts.
For the village idiots (of course they know themselves) who believe “PJP spoke too soon” and a monkey wrench was toss in spokes for his recent economic endeavors in Venezuela as it pertains to the purchase of asphalt for much needed road repairs just goes to show the level of their disgust mindset to see any form of economic progress by this government. If one door is closed another can be open, Venezuela is not the only source of asphalt production on the planet, where there is oil there is asphalt so perhaps our newly found Arab Alliance will fill this void.
@Lucian Lowgrade, getting discounted asphalt to fix the dilapidated roads in the last two years before elections and to get a 205 million dollar loan for a project that has no plan and final costing is progress ? Get out of here.
Only in St.Lucia a government fixing a road is highlighted as progress and something major.
Such low expectations from your politicians.
And this guy has the nerve to call people who doesn’t share his opinion idiots.
While labeling his own self honorable and high grade.
SMH
Maduro should start recruiting soldiers from St. Lucia. There are many young SLP men who would be willing to join our comrades in Venezuela and fight against the Guyanese who are the puppets of the US and UK. PJP should encourage enlistment of his supporters in the Venezuelan armed forces in the battle for justice ahead. I am hoping that Alva comes out soon to condemn the Guyanese thieves.