“This unfortunate provocation by the United States in favor of (…) ExxonMobil in Guyana is another step in the wrong direction,” Lopez X wrote on the platform, referring to the American company, one of the major oil extraction companies. In Guyana.
Earlier on Thursday, Washington announced that it would conduct “routine air force exercises aimed at strengthening the defense partnership” with Guyana on Friday. In turn, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken reaffirmed his “unwavering support for Guyana’s sovereignty”.
Venezuela wants to take the rich Essequibo region from Guyana. It conducted a “poll”.
Tensions between Guyana and Venezuela have escalated since Sunday after Caracas held a referendum in the Guyana-administered region of Essequibo. According to official data – disputed by many observers – some 10.4 million Venezuelan voters took part in the referendum, and 95 percent of them supported the integration of Essequibo with their country.
On Wednesday, a Guyanese military helicopter with seven people on board disappeared over the Venezuelan border. On Thursday, Guyana’s military announced it had located the plane and found “signs of life” at the crash site in a “mountainous and densely forested” area, about 50km from the border with Venezuela. The Guyanese soldiers started the rescue operation there.
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