Venezuela Places 6,000 Troops in Anticipation of British Warships
Venezuela's Defense Minister said that as long as the British warships had not left Guyanese waters, this country's troops would remain stationed on the eastern border.
Quoted by the newspaper, The Guardian, Sunday (31/12/2023) Vladimir Padrino said that the Venezuelan Armed Forces would continue to protect the national sovereignty of his country. He added, "The Venezuelan Armed Forces are not only stationed in the east, but throughout the country. They will remain there as long as the British ships do not leave the disputed waters of Venezuela and Guyana." Guyana claims the original agreement with Venezuela must be legally adhered to, and the dispute must be resolved through the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands. The two countries' territorial dispute escalated after the discovery of oil resources in Guyana, and in recent weeks top officials from Guyana and Venezuela have vowed not to use a violent approach. However, tensions between the two countries were then exacerbated by the entry of the British Royal patrol ship, HMS Trent, into Guyana's territorial waters. The Guyanese government claims that the British warship entered the country's coast as part of an operation to eradicate narcotics smuggling in the Caribbean Sea.
