The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, ordered this Thursday a defensive action in the Atlantic Ocean in response to the arrival of a British warship off the coast of Guyana, which once again triggered tension between the South American countries who maintain a territorial dispute. .
“I have ordered the activation of a joint action of all the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) in the eastern Caribbean of Venezuelaon the Atlantic front, a joint defensive action in response to the United Kingdom’s provocation and threat against the peace and sovereignty of our country,” the President said.
The announcement was made in front of the military leaders, during a meeting broadcast mandatory by radio and television, in which he communicated with a group of soldiers who carried out “the first phase” of this operation, which consisted of a deployment on the land and waters of the state of Sucre (northeast).
Nicola Maduro He did not provide details on the scope and duration of this operation but insisted that the arrival of the British HMS Trent This is an “unacceptable threat”, that is, a “break” of the agreements signed with his Guyanese counterpart, Irfaan Ali, on December 14, when they committed not to threaten each other and to avoid incidents related to the dispute.
Tension in the Caribbean | Source: AFP
“Venezuela “We cannot stand idly by in the face of a threat, we respond proportionally”, he assured, after reiterating his commitment to diplomacy and peace.
The Chavista leader criticized him Guyana ignored the requests of Venezuela not to accept the arrival of the British ship on its coasts.
A few minutes earlier, the Venezuelan government had condemned this fact in a statement asking Guyana “Take immediate measures to remove the vessel and refrain from further involving military powers in the dispute.”
The dispute escalated after that Venezuela approved on December 3, with a unilateral referendum, the annexation of the contested area, an area of almost 160,000 square kilometers which is under the control of Guyana and whose dispute is in the hands of the International Court of Justice. (With information from EFE)
2023-12-28 19:03:29
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