GEORGETOWN -Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has firmly said that the Russian combat vessels scheduled to make possible stops in Venezuela are not “a direct threat” to Guyana, however, the government will remain vigilant.

“We’ve been made aware of it; the President has spoken to several people in the region. The view shared by some of our partners is that it’s not something that we should worry about; that it doesn’t represent a direct threat to Guyana or Guyana’s interests.

“Nevertheless, we’re vigilant, and we’re keeping this issue firmly in our policy radar,” the Vice-President said during a press conference at the Office of the President (OP).

According to Reuters, Russia plans sending combat vessels into the Caribbean region this summer as part of a number of naval exercises that will likely include port calls in Cuba and possible stops in Venezuela, a senior US official said.

Last month, Dr. Jagdeo affirmed that Guyana remains vigilant about the development on Ankoko Island by Venezuelan authorities.

He made it clear that the government is not turning a blind eye to the actions being taken by Venezuela, which can be described as threatening.

“We have made it clear, and the requisite bodies have been written to, consistent with the Argyle Agreement and the provisional measures announced by the ICJ [International Court of Justice]. We have notified all the relevant partners, both multilateral and bilateral, about the continued attempts by Venezuela to build up a presence at our border in a threatening posture,” the Vice-President had said.

The border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela was settled by the 1899 Arbitral Agreement.

However, during the early 1960s, Venezuela’s claims to the Essequibo region were resurged, and the country threatened physical invasion. In the last nine years, Venezuela has advanced its claim, ever since it was announced that there’d been a major discovery of oil offshore Guyana. Venezuela is claiming about two-thirds of Guyana’s territory, all of which happen to be located in the resource-rich Essequibo region.

Guyana has maintained that its territorial boundary is 83,000 square miles, in addition to the internationally known maritime allocation. When the UN Good Offices process failed, the then UN Secretary-General referred the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The ICJ would have pronounced that both parties desist from actions that will exacerbate the territorial controversy.

Even so, Venezuela’s parliament purportedly declared Guyana’s Essequibo as a State of Venezuela.

While Guyana is maintaining that the ICJ is the competent authority to rule on the matter, and to find a peaceful resolution, it is ensuring that it builds international support and strengthens its military capacity. (Guyana Chronicle)…[+]