Ahead of a defining speech at the United Nations next week in which President David Granger is expected to put forward this country’s case for the decades-old controversy with neighbouring Venezuela to be settled in the International Court of Justice, the Nicolas Maduro administration has escalated tension between the two nations by deploying troops with war tanks and missiles at its western border with Guyana.
Caracas has also deployed maritime troops in Guyana’s waters- a situation which Guyana has objected to and has signalled its intention to lodge a formal complaint against, the recession-hit, OPEC state. President Granger, a retired army commander on Tuesday summoned his Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo; military and police chiefs as well as his top security aides in an effort to craft an appropriate response to this latest act of intimidation by Venezuela.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge said that Guyana has taken steps to beef up its presence at the border, but the administration is urging citizens to remain calm but alert in the current situation. Greenidge on Tuesday night said the Venezuelan military has launched a number of armed vessels in the Cuyuni River- a development that is of great concern to the administration.
“So in addition to mobilisation of personnel and equipment including missile launchers on the other side of its borders on our borders, they have also, as far as I am concerned illegally positioned ships in the waterways of Guyana,” Greenidge said. But, while the Guyana government has expressed concern over the intensified presence of military officials at the border, Minister of Defence Vladimir Padrino Lopez said military officers of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) held “operational exercises” in East Venezuela. Lopez according to the El Universal online publication did not elaborate on the specific area in East Venezuela nor the number of soldiers and equipment involved in the operation.
The Venezuelan Minister of Defence was quoted as saying “at this time we are conducting exercises to the east of the country, an operational deployment.” He urged Venezuelans to remain calm as the Venezuelan military prepares itself. A similar exercise is being conducted in the Western side of Venezuela, Lopez stated. All military machineries took part in the operational exercise, Guyana Chronicle understands.
But Guyana will remain vigilant and is currently monitoring the developments as it is in no position to say clearly why the Venezuelan military has taken upon itself to patrol Guyana’s waterways without permission, Greenidge said, adding that under International practice and out of common courtesy, neighbouring territories would inform others of impending military exercises. “If the international practice is to be taken as a guide normally your neighbours would advise of such exercise, planned exercises and they would normally advise with good notice so they would plan to keep clear of the area and that there may be unusual activities. We have not been informed of any such exercise”, Greenidge told the Guyana Chronicle.
Guyanese to remain calm
But as Guyana continues to monitor the situation, strong calls are being made for all Guyanese “to be alert and careful and to remain within Guyana’s boundaries. Those Guyanese that are in other communities we request them to remain calm because we are going to do all that is necessary to monitor the situation and to act in event that anything further happens,” Greenidge assured. Greenidge stressed that under conventions agreed to by both countries; disagreements are to be settled peacefully. He said Guyana has no intention of aggravating the situation and will do all in its power to have the situation resolved amicably. “The International community of course, has agreed and Venezuela is part of the G77 for example and the countries of the UNASUR and MERCOSUR that disputes, disagreements will be settled peacefully.” Peaceful coexistence of states is enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and “Guyana remains committed to that principle and would regard any act that isn’t consistent with that principle as a breach of international law,” Greenidge underscored, stressing that breaches have serious consequences.
Legal ports
Guyanese are also being urged to utilise all “legal ports of entry into and out of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela if they have to travel.” Steps are being made to inform the international community, the Foreign Affairs Minister stated. “We will inform all those that need to be informed,” he said noting that with the number of reports already circulating on the issue persons are aware. The United Nations he added is the forum for Guyana to raise its voice on the controversy. Asked whether the deployment of troops is an act of intimidation, the Foreign Affairs Minister says he prefers not to label the activities of the Venezuelan military, but stressed that Guyana objects strongly to their presence in Guyana’s waters. “I would leave it as an event taking place in Venezuela, but of course we will lodge a strong objection to the presence of military equipment on Guyana’s rivers.” Greenidge added that neighbours are allowed to use the country’s rivers for “normal passage” but not for “military activities” and as such it is a breach of international conventions.
Greenidge explained that while the Venezuelan government has urged its citizens to remain calm during the execution of the exercise, “it doesn’t tell you what is the intent of the exercise, whether it is just another exercise practice or whether they are planning to do anything more mischievous. Certainly, the presence of the boats on the Cuyuni is unjustified and takes us beyond the occasion of a normal military exercise an annual military exercise or biennial.”
Security beefed up
At the moment, there is beefed-up security presence at the country’s border. “They would have anticipated things like this in the past and there is a plan and things like this would have been part of the plan to ensure greater surveillance, take precautions and so on,” Greenidge told the Guyana Chronicle. Meanwhile, President Granger on Tuesday described the activities of the Venezuelan military as disconcerting. He told reporters that “extraordinary military deployments in eastern Venezuela, Western Guyana seem to be impacting on Guyana’s territorial defence.”
As a result of the troubling situation at the border, the President summoned Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud; Chief of Staff Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Mark Phillips, Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan; Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo to discuss Guyana’s approach.
Asked whether he thinks the military exercise by Venezuela is in relation to the ongoing controversy between the two countries, Granger, said: “I have been in my earlier profession familiar with Venezuelan behaviour and what we have noticed during the month of September is an extraordinary escalation of Venezuelan military activity in eastern Venezuela.” The “provocative” move by Venezuela the President said must be paid attention to as that country has been “aggressive” and “hostile” towards Guyana. “We feel that Venezuela is treading a dangerous course at this point in time. Rather than seeking a peaceful resolution of the matter, Venezuela seems to be pursuing a very offensive and aggressive course,” he added.
The President stressed that he will be reiterating Guyana’s position on Venezuela’s illegitimate claims to Guyana’s territorial space in his address to the United Nations General Assembly next week. He added that the Guyana–Venezuela controversy will also be at the forefront of bi-lateral discussions with world leaders. “The most important position for Guyana at United Nations General Assembly would be the threat of aggression from Venezuela and of course the persistence which is renewed on the 26th May,” Granger said. “The situation is getting worse”, the President said.
Last week, the Venezuelan Government suspended the appointment of Guyana’s Ambassador to Venezuela Cheryl accusing Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge of attacking Venezuela through utterances made in the United States. But Greenidge unmoved by the Venezuelan Government’s decision to delay accrediting Guyana’s appointed Ambassador said Guyana will continue to be vocal against Venezuela’s illegitimate claims to the Essequibo Region and Guyana’s maritime space following the discovery of significant oil by US giant Exxon Mobile. Over the years, the UN has attempted to resolve the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy without much success.

By Ariana Gordon