Venezuela condemns US fighter jets’ fly over Guyana
VENEZUELA HAS criticised the decision by the Guyana government to allow two United States fighter jets to overfly the capital, Georgetown and surrounding areas, as part of defence cooperation.
In a brief statement on Thursday, the Guyana government said it had “approved” the flyover of two US Navy aircraft F/A18F Super Hornets, saying the “exercise is being coordinated by the Guyana Defence Force, in collaboration with the United States Southern Command”.
It said that the exercise is being conducted “as part of the defence cooperation pact between Guyana and the United States of America and seeks to deepen the ongoing security cooperation programme between our two countries”.
But Caracas has accused the two countries of conspiring to provoke regional peace.
“The Bolivarian National Armed Forces strongly reject these repeated provocations by the Southern Command, sponsored by the government of Guyana, which has assumed the role of a new North American colony.
“Our Comprehensive Aerospace Defense System remains activated against any attempt to violate Venezuelan geographical space, including our Essequibo Territory. Alerts!,” Venezuela’s Defence Minister, Vladimir Padrino said on X, formerly Twitter.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil denounced the military exercise and deemed it “further proof of the provocations made to Venezuela by the US Southern Command”.
Guyana and Venezuela have a border dispute now before the International Court of Justice (ICCJ), with Caracas claiming ownership of the Essequibo region that makes up about two-thirds of Guyana and is home to 125,000 of its 800,000 citizens.
On Thursday, Venezuela accused Guyana of violating the December 2023 Argyle Declaration by President Irfaan Ali and his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro, reached during talks in St Vincent and the Grenadines on the border dispute last December.
The two countries agreed in Kingstown not to “directly or indirectly” threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances, as they continue to seek a resolution to the border dispute between them.
They also agreed that both states “will refrain, whether by words or deeds, from escalating any conflict or disagreement arising from any controversy between them and that the border dispute will be resolved in accordance with international law, including the Geneva Agreement dated February 17, 1966.
“The desires of Exxon Mobil have no limits, after appropriating Guyana they intend to destabilize the region and threaten the Peace Zone agreed upon by the CELAC countries, while the Government of Guyana violates its international commitments, including the Argyle Agreement of 2023, by ceding its sovereignty to the North American power that threatens an entire continent,” Gil said on X.
According to the US Embassy in Guyana, speaking about Thursday’s exercise, “The exercise builds upon our routine security cooperation and expanding bilateral defense partnership with Guyana.” The embassy said the US Navy aircraft carrier USS George Washington and Carrier Strike Group 10 are in the region as part of a twomonth transit to the Pacific.
It said, during its transit, the USS George Washington will conduct exercises and exchanges with longstanding defence partners to increase interoperability, build capacity, and support hemispheric security and stability.
These engagements reflect what General Laura Richardson has described as “Team USA’s unwavering commitment to partner with like-minded nations who represent Team Democracy,” the embassy added.