Guyana not bothered by Venezuela’s military exercise close to border

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge on Tuesday said the Government of Guyana is not bothered by the military exercise being carried out by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, as that country has the right to so do.
Venezuela, contending that the 1899 Arbitral Award giving Guyana rights over Guyana’s territorial boundary is null and void, has launched an extraordinary military deployment near the disputed border area.
While the Government of Venezuela is entitled to carry out its own military exercises, Minister Greenidge pointed out, Guyana has the right to ensure there is

no infringement of its territorial integrity.
According to Minister Greenidge, Venezuela will do what it chooses to do. Guyana, however, also has its own responsibility.
“They have a right to carry out their military exercises. We, of course, have a right to monitor and make sure that they do not infringe on our territorial integrity.”
The Foreign Affairs Minister said there was no reason to believe Venezuela would ignore the rules, but it is in Guyana’s interest that special focus be placed on security.
Minister Greenidge also said the presence of Guyanese military personnel at the borderline is not connected to the border issue currently before the ICJ.
“The people living on the border areas have been alerted by the Guyanese authorities, not because of what is happening in the courts, but because of the political crisis in Venezuela. That political crisis started before the court matter, and will continue perhaps after,” he declared.
The minister said Guyanese living along the border must now continue to carry out the necessary surveillance. Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, on March 29, submitted, on behalf of the Government, application to the International Court of Justice, requesting the Court to confirm the legal validity and binding effect of the 1899 Arbitral Award regarding the boundary between Guyana and Venezuela.