The Government of Guyana yesterday said that the upcoming national referendum in Venezuela on this country’s county of Essequibo would be tantamount to annexation of territory and a crime of aggression.
The statement particularly highlights the fifth question on the referendum which seeks the “approval of the Venezuelan people to create a new state of Venezuela that incorporates the county of Essequibo into the national territory of Venezuela”. The granting of Venezuelan citizenship and identity cards to Guyanese citizens who are domiciled within the county of Essequibo amounts to annexation, says the Government, and carries the potential to lead to incitement of violence, to threaten the peace and security of the State of Guyana, and by extension, the Caribbean region.
