–Dr. Jagdeo affirms; says upcoming visit by British ship is routine, part of building Guyana’s defence capabilities
–St Vincent PM reaffirms Guyana’s non-aggressive intentions, commitment to peace

IN the midst of comments from Venezuela over the British offshore patrol vessel, HMS Trent, set to dock in Guyana’s waters, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, has sought to reassure the international community that Guyana has no intentions of taking “offensive action” against the Bolivarian Republic.

During a press conference, on Thursday, Jagdeo highlighted the defensive nature of Guyana’s measures, highlighting their routine and planned nature.

He underscored that the primary objective of the visit was to bolster Guyana’s security apparatus in a defensive capacity, clarifying that there are no intentions to launch attacks on any nation, including Venezuela.

The General Secretary referenced recent discussions between Presidents Dr. Irfaan Ali and Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro at the Argyle International Airport in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where there was a commitment to peace.

The meeting was facilitated by the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, and was observed by Brazil, CARICOM, and a UN Under-Secretary-General.
“The President [Dr. Irfaan Ali] has been in touch with Prime Minister Gonsalves on this matter. He’s made it clear that we support the Argyle declaration in letter and spirit that nothing that we did in the past or will do in the future is to harm or will affect Venezuela and the territory of Venezuela,” Dr. Jagdeo said.

The Argyle Declaration, issued by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on December 14, 2023, emphasised the commitment to a zone of peace, rejecting aggression or the threat of force against any member state.

Jagdeo explained that joint military engagement between Guyana and the United Kingdom (UK) aimed to promote capacity building is routine and has long been planned.

“These measures, a lot of these measures were long planned and they’re routine and they’re part of our building a defensive capability. Nothing that we do or have done has threatened Venezuela. We don’t plan on invading Venezuela, President Maduro knows this, and he needs not to have any worry about that,” Dr. Jagdeo said.

He also related that assurances were provided to President Maduro during discussions in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Guyana remains committed to diplomatic solutions and the rule of law.

“Now, we don’t have any plan to take ‘offensive action’ against Venezuela. Whatever we do here has been routine and has been long planned. And it’s part of our building a defensive capability in Guyana, not necessarily to fight wars but to police better our exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and our territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Dr. Jagdeo affirmed.

Jagdeo’s statements came in response to comments by Venezuela over the British offshore patrol vessel, HMS Trent. The Bolivarian Republic said that it views the vessel’s presence as provocative, raising questions about potential threats to its sovereignty, despite the fact that it is customary for nations to deploy resources to partner nations to conduct similar capacity building exercises.

However, to address Venezuela’s comments, Jagdeo clarified: “No, the President has not asked the British vessel to move away from what was a planned activity and we see as routine which has no offensive intent against Venezuela.”

Vincentian Prime Minister Gonsalves, serving as an interlocutor between Guyana and Venezuela, during a recent radio programme, shared insights into the situation.

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Gonsalves clarified the vessel’s purpose, stating: “This is a vessel which comes into the region and comes here sometimes too [to] deal with helping to interdict drugs, deal with trafficking in persons, search and rescue. It has very limited, as I understand it, very limited military capacity.”

Gonsalves, while acknowledging Venezuela’s concerns, maintained a diplomatic stance, stating: “The statement was firm, but the statement was not particularly belligerent. I think we will have things like this over the period, as you would expect as an interlocutor.”

He revealed his engagement with both the Guyanese and Venezuelan leaders, saying: “I was in touch with the President of Guyana… I was in touch with the President of the Venezuelan Government with assurances given on both sides of commitment to peace and continued dialogue and the like.’

Gonsalves urged maturity from both sides, stating: “I don’t want to express an opinion on it, except to say that, [ with respect to] the matter concerning the Southern US Southern Command, they have done training exercises in St. Vincent and in other countries too, with limited kinds of exercises. But Venezuela will naturally be concerned. But Guyana transmitted through me, to them, to indicate that these are not threatening exercises.”

Guyana loses over $100 million per year in illegal fishing in its EEZ and the government made commitments to enhance radar capability and other areas as well. Guyana, while remaining committed to peace, also has a responsibility to protect its exclusive economic zone and sovereignty from any potential harm.

The UK initiative is, therefore, another effort geared at enhancing Guyana’s defence capacity.

The BBC had quoted the UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson as saying: “HMS Trent will visit regional ally and Commonwealth partner Guyana later this month as part of a series of engagements in the region during her Atlantic Patrol Task deployment.”

“HMS Trent has a crew of 65, a top speed of 24 knots and a range of 5,000 nautical miles. It is armed with 30mm cannon and a contingent of Royal Marines. It can also deploy Merlin helicopters and unmanned aircraft,” the BBC reported.

The vessel, according to the BBC report, is expected to anchor off the capital of Guyana, Georgetown, and conduct visits, joint activities and training with the country’s navy and other allies.

Further, it was reported that the vessel is mainly used for tackling piracy and smuggling, protecting fisheries, counter-terrorism, providing humanitarian aid, and search and rescue operations, but the Royal Navy says it is also designed for border patrols and defence diplomacy.

According to the BBC, the decision to send HMS Trent to Guyana is part of a growing UK effort to show international diplomatic support for Guyana.