British High Commissioner to Guyana, James Gregory Quinn has dismissed Venezuela’s most recent claim on Guyana’s oil rich Essequibo Coast, stating that it lacks solid grounds. Venezuela’s President Nicholas Maduro on May 27 signed a decree that now claims an entire portion of Guyana’s territory into the Atlantic Ocean and includes the Stabroek Block where a significant portion of oil was recently discovered by US oil giant, ExxonMobil.
Guyana is turning to the United Nations to reach a legal settlement in its border dispute with Venezuela, describing Caracas’ claim of a portion of maritime space where oil was recently discovered as “a baseless and shameless attempt” at usurping Guyana’s territory.
Mercosur and Unasur member Venezuela is again bullying neighboring Guyana by issuing a presidential decree claiming more than two-thirds of the former British colony territory including the maritime area where ExxonMobil recently found a significant oil deposit.
Exxon Mobil Corp has discovered oil off the coast of Guyana, the company and the South American nation's government said on Thursday, potentially inflaming a long-running territorial dispute with neighboring Venezuela.
Guyana’s offshore exploration for oil in areas being contested by neighboring Venezuela is being faced with setbacks. Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud in making the revelation said this is linked to the expulsion and temporary seizure of the Malaysian seismic research vessel, RV Teknik Perdana, by Venezuela’s Navy last year.
By Sir Ronald Sanders - BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - The internal politics of Venezuela is playing a big part in the sudden deterioration of that country’s relations with its smaller neighbor Guyana after a period of steady improvement.
The owners of a US-operated oil ship which was detained by the Venezuelan navy on Thursday say the vessel has been released. The Venezuelan navy had boarded the Teknik Perdana on Thursday in disputed waters off the coast of Guyana and sailed it to Venezuela's Margarita Island.
Guyana says the Venezuelan navy has entered its territorial waters and detained a US-operated ship. The government said the Venezuelan actions in the disputed Essequibo region constituted a serious threat to peace in the region.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ended a one-day visit to Guyana on Saturday in a move that strengthens the relationship between the two countries that have had a long standing border dispute. The two countries have agreed to ask the Jamaica-born academic, Professor Norman Girvan to continue as the United Nations (UN) Good Officer as they seek to settle their border dispute.