Guyana enhancing internal security, not aggressive or offensive to Venezuela, other States – Pres Ali

…VP Jagdeo says British warship aims at boosting defensive capability, not to invade

President Dr Irfaan Ali has dismissed concerns over the impending visit of the United Kingdom (UK) warship HMS Trent to Guyana’s waters, saying that no activities within the country’s territory should be viewed as a threat to any other nation, including Venezuela.
“Neither Venezuela nor any other state has anything to fear from activities within Guyana’s sovereign territory or waters. I have iterated before that we harbour no ambitions or intentions to covet what does not belong to us. We are fully committed to peaceful relations with our neighbours and all countries in our Region. Guyana remains fully steadfast in promoting and advancing peace whilst pursuing national development,” President Ali posited in a statement to the media on Thursday evening.
Following reports last weekend that the UK is sending its Royal Navy patrol vessel to Guyana as part of a series of engagements in this region, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday said the deployment of the British warship to Guyana’s waters violates the spirit of the Argyle Agreement between the two South American neighbours, made earlier this month in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
However, according to the Guyanese Head of State, “Guyana has long been engaged in partnerships with regional and international states, aimed at enhancing internal security. These partnerships pose a threat to no one, and are in no way intended to be aggressive or constitute an offensive act against any state.
“I wish to renew my best wishes to the people of Venezuela, our neighbours,” Ali added.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense had announced on Sunday that the HMS Trent, a river class patrol vessel, would be deployed soon to Guyana. According to the Ministry, the ship will take part in joint exercises with Guyana after Christmas.
The ship’s presence comes after a recent visit of UK Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, David Rutley, to Guyana, where he met with President Ali and other top officials. That meeting saw discussions on expanding relations between the UK and Guyana in sustainable and economic development and security.
During a televised broadcast on Thursday, however, Maduro described the visit of the British vessel, which is currently en route to Guyana, as a threat to the peace and sovereignty of his country by the UK. He also ordered “the activation of a joint defensive action of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces” off the coast of Essequibo.

Based on international reports, some 5,682 soldiers, along with three ocean patrol vessels, seven missile boats, 12 Sukhoi planes, and eight amphibious vehicles, were deployed to Venezuela’s eastern Caribbean coast near the border with Guyana’s Essequibo, which that Spanish-speaking nation is laying claim to. Maduro further called on the Guyanese authorities to have the UK Navy vessel withdrawn.
Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has insisted that the impending visit of the HMS Trent is a planned and routine measure, and is not intended to be used in any way to threaten Venezuela. He noted that the visit is aimed at bolstering Guyana’s defensive capability.
“Nothing that we do or we’ve done has threatened Venezuela. We don’t plan on invading Venezuela. President Maduro knows this, and he needs not have any worry about that. That assurance was given to him in St Vincent and the Grenadines, and we have done so before St Vincent and the Grenadines and we will continue to do so now. We don’t have any plan to take offensive actions against Venezuela.
“Whatever we do here has been routine, and has been long planned and is part of our building a defensive capability in Guyana, not necessarily to fight wars, but to police better our Exclusive Economic Zone and our territorial integrity and sovereignty…President [Ali] has not asked the British vessel to move away from what was a planned activity, and (what) we see as routine and which has no offensive intent against Venezuela,” Jagdeo stated during his press conference on Thursday.
The Vice President further disclosed that Guyana remains committed to the ‘Joint Declaration of Argyle for Dialogue and Peace between Guyana and Venezuela’ – a series of agreements arrived at during the historic Caricom/CELAC/Brazil-brokered meeting between Presidents Ali and Maduro earlier this month. This commitment, according to Jagdeo, was reiterated to the Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr Ralph Gonsalves.
“The President has been in touch with Prime Minister Gonsalves on this matter. He’s made it clear that we support the Argyle Declaration in letter and spirit; that nothing that we did in the past or will do in the future is to harm or will affect Venezuela and the territory of Venezuela… A lot of these measures were long planned, and they’re routine, and they are a part of our building a defensive capability… So, we respect the Argyle Declaration, and President Maduro needs to understand this,” VP Jagdeo asserted.
PM Gonsalves, in his role as interlocutor between the two nations, said on Wednesday he had been in contact with both presidents and has been given assurances from the two sides that they are committed to peace and continued dialogue.
During the December 14, 2023 Argyle meeting, Presidents Ali and Maduro came to several agreements, including that Guyana and Venezuela, directly or indirectly, will not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstance, including those consequential to any existing controversies between the two states.
In the joint declaration, the two presidents also agreed that any controversy between the two states would be resolved in accordance with international law, including the Geneva Agreement dated February 17, 1966. The two countries have also committed to the pursuance of good neighbourliness, peaceful coexistence, and the unity of Latin America and the Caribbean; and are likely to meet again in Brazil in a few months. (G-8)