Venezuela 🇻🇪 vs. Guyana 🇬🇾 Watch Thread - Essequibo/Esequiba/Esequibo
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Especially with Trump in office.
Guyana says Venezuelan vessel entered oil block in Guyanese waters
March 1, 20253:28 PM ESTUpdated 5 hours ago
World leaders take part in the 79th annual U.N. General Assembly high-level debate
President of Guyana Mohamed Irfaan Ali addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 25, 2024. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
March 1 (Reuters) - Guyanese President Irfaan Ali said on Saturday that a Venezuelan coast guard patrol entered Guyanese waters earlier in the day, approaching an output vessel in an offshore oil block managed by Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) .
The South American neighbors are involved in a long-running dispute about which country owns the 160,000-square-km (62,000-square-mile) Esequibo area, which is the subject of an ongoing case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The northwest portion of the block, close to Venezuela, has remained in force majeure as the Exxon group has been unable to complete exploration there.
"During this incursion, the Venezuelan vessel approached various assets in our exclusive waters, including FPSO Prosperity," Ali said in a statement.
The Venezuelan government denied Ali's allegations and claimed that the waters they entered were not part of Guyanese territory since it is a maritime zone pending delimitation in accordance with international law.
"Irfaan Ali is blatantly lying when he states that units of the Venezuelan navy are violating Guyana's territory," the Venezuelan government said in a statement shared on Telegram.
Guyana summoned the Venezuelan ambassador to meet with its foreign minister and discuss Guyana's strong objections, and its embassy in Caracas has been advised to lodge a formal complaint with Venezuela, Ali added.
Guyana will also formally report this incident to the ICJ and engage with international partners like the intergovernmental organization CARICOM, the statement added.
The Guyanese government has also deployed unspecified air assets, Ali added.
Venezuela requested Guyana to stop sidestepping the Geneva agreement, referring to a 1966 treaty to resolve the border dispute, and asked the country to "comply with its commitments to seek a solution."
The Organization of American States (OAS) condemned the Venezuelan incursion in "Guyana's internationally recognized maritime territory".
The incident was a violation of Guyana's territory, the United States Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said on X. "Further provocation will result in consequences for the Maduro regime," it added.
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Reporting by Kemol King in Georgetown; Aditional Reporting by Mayela Armas; Writing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Nia Williams
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Guyana's president denounces Venezuelan incursion in offshore oil field operated by ExxonMobil
Guyana’s president has denounced an incursion by an armed Venezuelan naval vessel in disputed waters and home to a mammoth offshore oil deposit being developed by ExxonMobil.
apnews.com
Guyana’s president denounces Venezuelan incursion in offshore oil field operated by ExxonMobil
Guyana's President Irfaan Ali speaks during a press conference in Argyle, St. Vincent, Dec. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Lucanus D. Ollivierre, File)
Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali speaks during a press conference in Argyle, St. Vincent, Dec. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Lucanus D. Ollivierre, File)
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GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali on Saturday denounced an incursion by an armed Venezuelan naval vessel in disputed waters that are home to a mammoth offshore oil deposit being developed by ExxonMobil.
In a televised address, Ali said Guyana was hurriedly notifying all of its international allies, including the Trump administration, and had summoned Venezuela’s ambassador in the capital, Georgetown, to lodge a formal protest.
“This incursion is a matter of grave concern,” he said. “Guyana’s maritime boundaries are recognized under international law. This is a serious development concerning our nation’s maritime territory. We will not tolerate threats to territorial integrity.”
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez disputed Ali’s claims and called ExxonMobil’s oil installations “illegal.”
“He’s telling bald-faced lies,” she said in a statement, referring to Guyana’s president.
The Trump administration, which this week took swift action to tighten sanctions on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro ‘s government, echoed Ali’s concerns.
“Further provocation will result in consequences for the Maduro regime,” the U.S. State Department said on X.
Feud over land and maritime borders
Ali said the Venezuelan vessel passed close to several huge vessels used to store oil being produced by three oilfields operated by Exxon and partners Hess Corp and CNOOC of China in the Stabroek Block containing an estimated 11 billion barrels of oil. He said several aircraft and marine vessels had been deployed to support the large number of drill ships, seismic vessels and support ships operating in the bloc.
Saturday’s development came two weeks after armed men, suspected Venezuelan pirates operating in the border Cuyuni River, exchanged gunfire with a Guyanese military patrol, injuring six soldiers, two of them seriously.
Since ExxonMobil made its major oil discovery in Guyana in 2015, Venezuela has revived a century-old territorial dispute with Guyana and taken steps to annex the remote Essequibo region that comprises about two thirds of Guyana’s land mass.
The two neighboring states have feuded over land and maritime borders for decades as Venezuela claims that an 1890s boundaries commission cheated it out of the oil rich region. The area was administered by Britain for more than a century, and it has been under Guyanese control since 1966, when the nation gained its independence from the United Kingdom.
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irfan and his boss are reengineering guyana to lock in indian domination. to the detriment of guyanese brehdom.
the new airport management team.
the new airport management team.
RennisDeynolds
I am untethered and my rage knows no bounds!
Trump is about to get involved and stake a claim
88m3
Fast Money & Foreign Objects
Right. I'm assuming Maduro is trying to flex because Trump just cut off whatever oil lifeline Biden threw them but still. Just stupid all around
88m3
Fast Money & Foreign Objects
US companies are already deep out there but what Trump really wants is to put another star on the flag
Yeah but (I’m not guyanese) I hear this is a long standing issue between the black and indian guyanese in some long standing beef. I heard the Venezuela situation is forcing the country to unite though…but IDK...irfan and his boss are reengineering guyana to lock in indian domination. to the detriment of guyanese brehdom.
the new airport management team.
in some weird way I dont see trump letting Venezuela slide. He tried to coup the damn country the first administration
RennisDeynolds
I am untethered and my rage knows no bounds!
Guyana is not going to become a state
I'm saying he's going to provide military aid so we get that oil