Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has welcomed the move by a United States (US) senator to introduce legislation to strengthen defence ties between the two countries and monitor Venezuelan aggression.
“We’re pleased that they would see it as important, the US Government, to have the Department of Defence report regularly on the Venezuelan aggression towards Guyana and hopefully to ensure that their designs on our country, which is an aggressive design, will not succeed,” Jagdeo said on Thursday.
Earlier this week, US Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, had introduced legislation to strengthen US security cooperation with Guyana and deter Venezuelan aggression against the country.
In a statement, Bennet said, “As Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro continues to threaten Guyana, the United States must work with Guyana to deter such aggression… This bill will force the Pentagon to evaluate current cooperation and determine where improvements can be made.”
The legislation would require the Secretary of Defence to provide a report to Congress on the state of current security cooperation between the United States and Guyana and whether additional U.S. assistance is necessary to deter a potential Venezuelan attack on Guyana.
Since taking office in 2013, Maduro has ramped up threats against Guyana, claiming the country’s Essequibo region as part of Venezuela despite international law affirming the region’s status as part of Guyana.
Maduro’s regime has flown Venezuelan Air Force jets over Guyanese territory and threatened oil facilities in Guyana’s internationally recognised maritime territory, among other malicious actions.
Both the Biden and Trump administrations have bolstered security cooperation with Guyana and promised to impose costs on Venezuela if Caracas attacks Guyana. This bill would augment those bipartisan efforts.
In a statement, Bennet’s office noted that Guyana is a key partner in advancing regional security, democracy, and stability.
Another US Senator, Mark Kelly, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Armed Services Committee, co-sponsored this bill.
