Guyana says it will not allow Maduro's annexation of Essequibo to Venezuela | world

The Government of Guyana said on Thursday (4) that it will not allow Venezuela to annex the Essequibo region — The area represents two-thirds of the entire territory of Guyana but which Caracas claims as its own.

The memorandum said: “In this regard, the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana wishes to alert the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Governments of the Caribbean Community and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, as well as the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Secretary-General of the Organization of American States, who will not permit the annexation or takeover of over or occupy any part of their sovereign territory.”

• Commitment to refrain from words or actions that lead to escalation of the conflict – a measure that Maduro has now violated
• Resolving disputes in accordance with international law.
• Commitment to the pursuit of peaceful coexistence and unity in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Science on the border controversy and the decision of the International Court of Justice on the subject.
• – Continuing dialogue on outstanding issues.
• Establish a joint committee with foreign ministers to address mutually agreed upon issues.
• The agreement also stipulated holding a new meeting to discuss the matter in Brazil.

The Essequibo region has been disputed between Venezuela and Guyana for more than 100 years. Since the 19th century, the region has been under the control of the United Kingdom, which gained control of Guyana under an agreement with the Netherlands. The region represents 70% of today's territory of Guyana, and 125,000 people live there.

In Venezuela, the region is called Guiana Esquipa. It is a place full of dense forests, and in 2015 oil was discovered in the area.

It is estimated that Guyana's reserves amount to 11 billion barrels, the most significant portion of which is located offshore, i.e. in the sea near Essequibo. Because of oil, Guyana is the fastest growing country in South America in recent years.

Guyana and Venezuela both claim their rights to the territory based on international documents:

Guyana claims to own the territory because there is a report dating back to 1899, made in Paris, where the current borders were established. At that time, Guyana was a territory of the United Kingdom.

Venezuela claims that the territory belongs to it because it states so in an agreement signed in 19666 With the United Kingdom itself, prior to Guyana's independence, the arbitration award was annulled and a basis for a negotiated solution was laid.