Venezuela Rejects Canadian Exploration in Essequibo

On Wednesday, Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Yvan Gil condemned the Canadian oil exploration activities in the Essequibo, emphasizing that they involve taking sides in an unresolved territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana.

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"Canada, a constant aggressor against Venezuela, always seeking to provoke and harm our homeland, is now illegally getting involved in a territorial controversy that does not concern them, taking sides and violating all established principles between Guyana and Venezuela," he said.

"Canada has no say in matters concerning the Essequibo region. The Guyanese government must immediately demand the withdrawal of Canada's statement," Gil pointed out.

"The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States must take note of this reckless and ill-intentioned declaration that undermines peace and stability in our region," he added.

Previously, the Canadian Assistant Deputy Minister for the Americas, Glen Linder, posted photographs of his visit to an oil exploration site in the Essequibo, a region which the Canadian official improperly referred to as "a proud part of Guyana."

At a meeting held in Brazil on Feb. 25, Gil and Guyana's Foreign Minister Hugh Todd worked on a roadmap to convene the first meeting of the Guyana-Venezuela Joint Commission, which will address issues related to the controversy between the two countries over the Essequibo.

Two days later, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez reaffirmed that the Bolivarian nation will not waive its defense of the rights historically belonging to it in the Essequibo.

"Venezuela does not recognize, nor will it recognize, the fraudulent boundaries of the award of dispossession," she said, noting that the Guyanese president Mohamed Irfaan Ali once again disregards international law.