Border Controversy: Any physical aggression by Venezuela will be “dealt with appropriately” – VP Jagdeo

The Guyana Government has assured the public that it is working every day to ensure the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are not undermined by Venezuelan forces.

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo gave this assurance during his weekly press conference on Thursday, where he declared that, “…Those matters relating to the Venezuelan aggression against our country and their threat to our territorial integrity and sovereignty are receiving the attention of the entire government the highest level, at the presidential level, on a daily basis.”
“And we’re working with a number of partners around the world to ensure that any Venezuelan aggression that manifests itself in a physical form would be dealt with appropriately,” Jagdeo added.
Only three weeks ago, a Venezuelan naval vessel had entered Guyana’s waters – an act that was widely condemned by the Guyana Government, local stakeholders as well as regional and international leaders and bodies.
Asked about steps being taken as a preemptive response to Venezuelan troops in Guyana’s territory, VP Jagdeo made it clear that the Guyana Government cannot conduct diplomacy in the public domain
“You can’t conduct diplomacy in the public on sensitive matters, especially the border issue. That is why the Leader of the Opposition [Aubrey Norton] was briefed,” Jagdeo stated in reference to President Dr Irfaan Ali’s in-person meeting with the Opposition Leader on March 1. 2025 after the Venezuelan naval vessel’s incursion into Guyana’s waters.
According to the Vice President during Thursday’s press conference, “…if I were to go and say, this is our specific plan to counter Venezuelan arriving here [and] this is what the army is doing, it would be extremely stupid of me to do that… and I wouldn’t want to telegraph that to the Venezuelans.”
At approximately 07:00h on Saturday, March 1, 2025, a Venezuelan Coast Guard vessel, identified as ABV Guaiquerí PO-11 (IMO 4695542), entered Guyana’s waters and approached a tanker near the Prosperity Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) that is operating in the Stabroek Block, Offshore Guyana.
Located within Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which the Nicolás Maduro-led Venezuelan regime is laying claim to, the oil-rich Stabroek Block is being operated by United States oil major, ExxonMobil, which has discovered over 11 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe) and is currently conducting production and other exploration activities.
During its incursion, the Venezuelan naval vessel communicated threateningly via radio communication that Prosperity was operating in Venezuela’s EEZ, before continuing in a southwestern direction towards other FPSOs in Guyana’s waters, to which it delivered the same message.
Following the Venezuela’s incursion, the Guyana Government has since activated a series of responses, including the deployment of military resources offshore, engaging the international community and it has also sent a formal protest note to Caracas.
Based on reports coming out of Caracas, Maduro has recently called for a face-to-face meeting with President Ali over the heightened tension between the two South American countries – something which the Guyana Government has already shut down in the face of Venezuela’s blatant disregard of Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In fact, President Ali told reporters last weekend that he will not have any discussions with Venezuela when they are blatantly disregarding the Argle Declaration – a December 2023 peace pact signed by the Guyanese and Venezuelan presidents.
Moreover, the Guyanese Head of State has also informed regional leaders including the Argle Interlocutor, Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Dr Ralph Gonsalves, of this position.
On Tuesday, PM Gonsalves travelled to Caracas to meet with Maduro over the latter’s continued acts of provocation against Guyana. It was further indicated, via a statement issued by the St Vincent Government on Tuesday, that PM Gonsalves also spoke to President Ali on Monday, presumably via phone, to urge calm and restraint.
Meanwhile, Guyana has also written the International Court of Justice (ICJ) seeking to block attempts by the Maduro-led Venezuelan regime to hold elections in the Essequibo region – two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass which the Spanish-speaking nation is also claiming.
Earlier this week, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd told the Guyana Times that the ICJ has already given Venezuela until the end of March to respond its plans to hold elections in Guyana’s Essequibo region on May 25, 2025.
The Guyanese Government informed the World Court, which is currently hearing a case to settle the decades-long border controversy between the two South American neighbours, that such actions by Venezuela “flagrantly violate” the provisional measures issued by the court in December 2023.
On the other hand, Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn has already made it clear that any Guyanese found supporting efforts by the Maduro regime to appoint a governor and other leaders in its Guyana’s Essequibo region will be charged with treason – something which VP Jagdeo reaffirmed during Thursday’s press conference.
“These antics by the Venezuelan government… you have to treat it seriously and that is why we took it to the ICJ. We approached the ICJ on the matter of their elections [and] our partners are fully briefed etc. …And Robeson Benn already made it clear – it’s a treason act. Any Guyanese who allows himself to be appointed Governor of Essequibo that includes our territory…it’s a treasonous act,” Jagdeo contended.
Only last month, six members of the Guyana Defense Force (GDF) came under attack by Venezuelan men on the border. The February 17, attack injured the six troops – all with gunshot wounds. Initial reports had indicated that some of the Venezuelan men died, after the soldiers returned fire.