By Ravin Singh

As Venezuela continues to grapple with widespread food and power shortages from an economic crisis precipitated by plummeting oil prices, Guyana is prepared to lend support to the neighbouring oil-rich nation, should the need arise.Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, noted Guyana’s willing to extend a good gesture to its uneasy and recently hostile neighbour during an interview with the Guyana Chronicle at the Georgetown Club on Friday evening.

The deteriorating situation in Venezuela has forced President Nicolas Maduro to recently announce a state of emergency to deal with the economic crisis. President Maduro has blamed his country’s wealthy businessmen and what he called imperial forces for exacerbating the economic situation in Venezuela in a bid to oust him from power.

Arab news network Al Jazeera, earlier this week, reported that bread, medicine and toilet paper are just some of the basic necessities Venezuelans are struggling to find.
And while public services are disappearing, US officials have warned that the entire country is on the brink of collapse.

With this situation at hand, Minister Greenidge was keen to note that Guyana is concerned with what has been transpiring within her neighbour to the west. This concern, he told this publication, extends to the point where Guyana would try to ensure that it does not contribute to the problems, including through comments which are inimical to a peaceful resolution of the crisis.

Mr Greenidge was of the view that Guyanese would, if they deem it necessary, try and provide humanitarian or other assistance to Venezuela.

Given the unfolding crisis, some Guyanese “clearly may come (home); and if they decide to, we (Guyana) have an obligation to accommodate them. If a crisis is announced on the other side, we will do what a good neighbour is obliged to do — which is to help them,” the foreign affairs minister said.

He did not share the view that there is likely to be an influx of Venezuelans here due to the ongoing crisis, contending that the Government of Venezuela has the capacity to control movement of its people.

“We are not worried about an influx of Venezuelans. I believe that the Government of Venezuela has the capacity to control movement; these things are in their hands. You’re not going to get any massive fleets of people unless there is some big carnage. And the people on the border are not the ones chronically affected by the shortages; those people are in the city, and they will find it easier to go to either Trinidad or Colombia; so that doesn’t worry us,” he said.

However, he said it is not Guyana’s intention to bar anyone from entering the country, at least not at this point in time.

Last week, President Maduro visited Jamaica for what his Government said was a one-day “working visit”. That trip preceded one to the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

Last year, Guyana lost its rice market in Venezuela after the Spanish-speaking country, employing an acrimonious attitude against Guyana, refused to renew a five-year-old agreement. This came subsequent to Maduro issuing a decree reasserting Venezuela’s claim to two-thirds of Guyana’s territory, including the portion where significant oil reserves have been discovered.