ExxonMobil oil drilling…Tensions rise as Venezuela issues ‘subtle threat’ to Guyana
- Govt. tells neighbour to be respectful; committed to diplomatic solutions
By Leonard Gildarie
In one of the worst diplomatic spats with Guyana in recent times, neighbouring Venezuela has warned that
Nicolas Maduro
it is prepared to take actions following the recent start of oil drilling activities by a US exploration firm, in what it considers disputed territory. But the Government of Guyana yesterday stood firm, calling on its neighbour to be respectful of the age old boundary award which gives this country right to explore its economic potential. Venezuela just over a week ago warned US-owned ExxonMobil, one of the world’s biggest oil companies, not to drill for oil in what it considers its waters, offshore Georgetown. However, ExxonMobil insisted that it has an agreement with Guyana and not Venezuela. A drilling ship is in the concession and last week reportedly started its activities, Government has announced. Following the warning to ExxonMobil, Guyana sent a protest note to Venezuela stressing that the neighbouring country is stymieing the development of Guyana and its people, and that would be in contravention of international law.
President Donald Ramotar
The situation is a delicate one for Guyana and Venezuela, as the two countries are part of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) under which a number of lucrative trading deals have been reached. In the case of Guyana, Venezuela has for almost a decade now been selling oil at concessionary rates and in return, this country has been supplying rice. On Wednesday, a new deal was signed for almost 200,000 tonnes of rice and paddy, much to the relief of Guyana which would have been left holding a huge surplus had Venezuela backed down. In October 2013, an armed Venezuelan navy vessel reportedly entered Guyana waters and detained a seismic survey vessel which was under contract with Anadarko. Anadarko had a petroleum prospecting licence to search for hydrocarbons in the Roraima block offshore Guyana. With ExxonMobil a US company, Venezuela yesterday turned to the local media in Guyana to send out its message which seemed to have caught Government by surprise. Venezuela took almost a three-quarter page advertisement in Kaieteur News with a statement on the issue of ExxonMobil. “…the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela as a promoter
The MV Teknik Perdana which was seized and detained by the Venezuelan Military in Guyana’s waters back in 2013.
of peace, unity and solidarity development as inherited patterns of behavior of our Liberator SimÓn BolÍvar and the Eternal Commander Hugo ChÁvez, reserves the right to execute all actions in the diplomatic field and in accordance with international law, that might be necessary to defend and safeguard the sovereignty and independence of our country under the border dispute over the Essequibo Reclamation Zone.” “The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, ratifies its commitment to international peace and the unity of the Latin American and Caribbean peoples, and ratifies the full exercise of its just claim to the Essequibo territory, including its coastline, and calls for national unity to all Venezuelans to defend the territorial integrity of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.” In its response, issued by Director General, Elisabeth Harper, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Government of Guyana said it is extremely perplexed by Venezuela’s statement, which while declaring as false Guyana’s statement, that Venezuela’s actions are aimed at stymieing Guyana’s development, “that same Government seeks to publicize those very objections to Guyana’s development initiatives – by also utilizing Guyana’s local media.”