The White House on Thursday reiterated the United States’ “unwavering support” for Guyana‘s sovereignty amid rising border tensions between Guyana and Venezuela.
The long-running dispute over the oil-rich Essequibo region, under review by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), gained momentum over the weekend when voters in Venezuela rejected the ICJ’s jurisdiction and supported the creation of a new Venezuelan state. .
Guyana has questioned the legitimacy of the vote, placed its Armed Forces on high alert and said Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is disregarding ICJ orders not to take any steps to change the status quo in Essequibo.
“We continue to absolutely maintain our unwavering support for Guyana’s sovereignty,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters, adding that Washington supports a peaceful resolution to the border dispute between Venezuela and Guyana.
The US State Department said earlier this week it believes the Venezuela-Guyana border dispute cannot be resolved through a referendum.
The United States also stated that it would conduct flight operations within Guyana following routine engagement. US Southern Command, which provides security cooperation in Latin America, was scheduled to conduct flight operations with the Guyanese military inside Guyana on Thursday, the US embassy in Georgetown said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Guyanese President Irfaan Ali on Wednesday evening, the State Department previously said.
Analysts and sources in Caracas say that rather than representing a real likelihood of military action, the referendum was an initiative by Maduro to show strength and gauge support for his government ahead of the 2024 elections.
Por Steve Holland