MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

New sea incident between Venezuela and Guyana

In the meantime, Guyana prepares to “have better security and better management of our borders,” Ali said

Venezuela's Armed Forces rejected neighboring Guyana's patrolling waters yet to be delimited, Bolivarian authorities explained this weekend. The Chavista regime also spoke against Guyanese President Irfaan Ali's latest remarks affecting the ongoing sovereignty controversy over the so-called Essequiba Guiana. On Saturday, Ali accused the Bolivarian Navy of violating Guyanese maritime territory.

According to Caracas, the patrol was carried out in the context of the Joint Military Operation “General Domingo Antonio Sifontes” to safeguard the integrity of the maritime spaces of the Venezuelan Atlantic Coast. During this operation, the Bolivarian Navy detected the presence of 28 foreign drilling vessels and tankers in the disputed area. The units had been allowed by Georgetown to handle hydrocarbon operations in the area the Boliviarian Government deemed in violation of international law.

Caracas' communiqué insisted the territorial dispute was regulated by the Geneva Agreement, a legal instrument in force deposited in the United Nations General Assembly. Hence, Venezuela maintains that Guyana cannot unilaterally dispose of the resources in the marine and submarine areas pending to be delimited, and, therefore, the presence of transnational companies such as ExxonMobil with the support of foreign powers contributed to tension in the region. The Chavista regime also argued that some regional organizations were promoting hostility instead of favoring dialogue.

As Caracas adopts this tone, Ali announces the purchase of digitized scanners in addition to stricter Legislation at the country's ports of entry. The implementation comes together with a US$ loan from the World Bank to improve road safety, given that Guyana's coastal regions face significant challenges due to extreme weather events and poor road conditions.

Last month, Guyanese authorities announced that digitized passports with a technology akin to that used on those documents elsewhere were to be launched shortly, thus extending the document's validity from 5 to 10 years. “We are currently working, and very soon we will have those passports rolling out to our citizens,” said Deputy Chief Immigration Officer (DCIO) Stephen Telford.

In this scenario, Ali has unveiled plans to further digitize the processes and systems at Guyana’s ports of entry. “The next phase of advancement at our ports is to have a fully-digitized scanner system for everything that is coming in and going out,” he said upon announcing a partnership with the United States in this regard. “So, we are going to remove the burden on our human capacity,” he added.

“We are going to have scanners at all our ports, for every single thing that is going in and coming out, with traceability, accountability, and also with storage capacity, so that we can have better security and better management of our borders system,” he also pointed out.

The President confirmed that new legislation would be introduced to impose higher fines for individuals who fail to correctly declare items in their possession when traveling.

“You will see technology digitization being implemented at this next phase at all our ports of entry; that is starting with our airports and our wharf. That is the next phase of development that is almost immediately upon us,” Ali further explained.

Some of these innovative gates offering passengers faster check-in times, smoother security screenings, and a more convenient overall experience have already been installed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).