Venezuela & US spar over Guyana border dispute
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has rejected “interference” from the United States in its border dispute with Guyana.
Maduro's statements came after the US State Department's Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Brian Nichols, expressed the Biden Administration’s support for Guyana in the dispute before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
“The US supports Guyana’s sovereign right to develop its own natural resources. Efforts to infringe upon Guyana’s sovereignty are unacceptable. We call on Venezuela to respect international law, including the 1899 Arbitral Award and the ongoing ICJ process between Guyana and Venezuela,” Nichols wrote on X, formally known as Twitter.
Nichols’ post was a response to Venezuela criticising Guyana on Tuesday night for accepting bids for oil blocks in the waters of the disputed territory.
Maduro responded to Nichols’ tweet, saying the US is trying to strip Venezuela of its territorial rights.
“From Venezuela, we firmly reject the insolent interference of the United States, who have manipulated and bought, through Exxon Mobil and the Southern Command, the servile politicians of Guyana who little by little have turned this nation into a colony,” he wrote.
“It is an unacceptable conspiracy that seeks to strip us of the territorial rights that belong to the Venezuelan people. Rest assured that the truth will prevail over these vile pretensions, and Bolívar's Venezuela will triumph!”
Another statement from the Venezuelan Government accused the US of seeking to build a military base in Guyana, which would then be used for operations to undermine the Bolivarian Republic.
Venezuela stated this “would put the peace and stability of the entire region at risk”.
Venezuela said its people and citizens are committed and ready to defend their homeland against any aggression from the United States.
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