The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today denounced a Presidential Decree by Venezuela purporting to annex maritime zones belonging to Guyana and the government here is to internationalize the matter.
Over the weekend, reports out of Caracas adverted to the Decree which had apparently been gazetted in Venezuela since May 27th 2015. Questions have been raised over the motives behind the Decree and observers point out that it comes just days after US oil firm ExxonMobil announced what could be the first major oil find in Guyana’s waters. Maps issued by Caracas show the ExxonMobil well site within the zone now being claimed.
In its first official statement on the Decree, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Decree No.1.787 “is a flagrant violation of International Law and is inconsistent with the principle that all States should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other States, large and small”.
It added that Guyana “rejects this illegality which seeks to undermine our efforts at development through the exploitation of our natural resources offshore”. It said that Guyana will continue undeterred to access and develop its resources in line with the principles of International Law.
“…Guyana wishes to make it pellucid that Decree No. 1.787 cannot be applicable to any part of Guyana’s territory and any attempt by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to apply that instrument in an extra-territorial manner will be vigorously resisted by the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. In light of this Guyana will spare no effort in bringing to the attention of the international community this aggressive and illegal act by Venezuela”, the Foreign Ministry statement said.
The statement added that the Decree disregards International law, presents a threat to regional peace and security and breaches the Geneva Agreement of 1966.
The Decree poses the first major foreign policy challenge for the new APNU+AFC Government and its Foreign Minister Carl Greenidge and comes at a time when the administration is still to secure appointments of new envoys to Western capitals and Caracas.
Venezuelan Ambassador to Guyana Reina Margarita Arratia Diaz was to be summoned to Takuba Lodge today to explain the Decree and to be apprised of Guyana’s position.
In October, 2013, in Guyana’s waters, Venezuela intercepted the vessel Teknik Perdana which had been doing work for US oil explorer Anadarko Petroleum Corporation. Since then, Caracas has avoided bilateral meetings with Georgetown to settle that matter and exploration in that area near to Venezuelan waters has ground to a halt. The demarche against ExxonMobil has escalated Caracas’ interference in Guyana’s search for oil and follows several warning letters to ExxonMobil by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez when the oil exploration rig arrived in Guyana’s waters in March of this year.
Under the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Caracas had tamped down its traditional policy of interfering in investments in the Essequibo and off its coast. Since his passing in 2013, his successor, Nicolas Maduro has presided over rising attempts to interfere with investments and restate the claim to Guyana’s Essequibo which was settled by international arbitration in 1899. Analysts have suggested that the aggressive acts are in part meant for the domestic Venezuelan audience where Maduro faces serious economic and political challenges.
Venezuela’s aggressiveness in Guyana’s waters against US explorers also comes amid continuing tension with Washington.
Observers have suggested that Guyana could move to have an emergency meeting of Caricom to discuss the latest development and seek to raise the matter at the United Nations and the Organisation of American States.
