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The president of Guyana, Irfaan Alisaid this Sunday that his country did not have “Nothing to fear”for the referendum called by your neighbor Venezuela to reinforce a centuries-old claim to sovereignty over the region of Essequiborich in oil.
“I want to assure Guyanese that There is nothing to fear in the coming hours, days, months“, said the president in a live broadcast on Facebook from the disputed area. “Our vigilance will be maximum, but we are working tirelessly to ensure that our borders remain intact and that the population and our country remain safe”.
LOOK HERE: Referendum on Essequibo in Venezuela LIVE, latest news from Guyana, the 5 questions and results
Venezuela holds a non-binding consultative referendum, with which the government seeks to assert a centuries-old claim over this 160,000 km2 territory, which is under the control of Guyana.
Thousands of Guyanese formed human chains, called “trade union circles“, to show your attachment to Essequibo. Many wore t-shirts with phrases like “Essequibo belongs to Guyana”And waved the country’s flags. There he participated in one of these demonstrations.
Venezuela argues that Essequibo River It is the natural border, as it was in 1777, when he was Captain General of the Spanish Empire.
Appeal to Geneva Agreementsigned in 1966, before Guyana’s independence from UK. This agreement annulled an 1899 sentence, which defined the limits that Guyana defends and which asks the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest court of the United Nations, to ratify.
“We have always seen diplomacy as our first line of defense and we are in a very strong position in this first line of defense” he claimed Irfaan Aliciting the international support he claims his country has received in this controversy.
MORE INFORMATION: 5 keys to understanding the controversial referendum in Venezuela on the disputed Essequibo region
Guyana asked the ICJ to suspend the referendum, which includes among the five questions asked to the population one on whether they agree with the creation of a Venezuelan province called “Guyana Essequiba” and grant nationality to its inhabitants.
“I will not interfere in Venezuelan politicsAli continued. “But I want to warn Venezuela that this is an opportunity for them to show maturity and an opportunity for them to show responsibility.”.
Venezuela’s claim has intensified since the American energy giant ExxonMobil discovered oil in disputed waters in 2015. This area has oil reserves comparable to those of Kuwait and is at the top of the list of reserves per capita in the world.
Source: Elcomercio
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
