Guyanese oil production vessel FPSO One Guyana. Photo: SBM Offshore.
The Venezuelan government has condemned the maneuvers initiated by the Guyanese government in partnership with ExxonMobil in the Stabroek block, located in areas without agreed maritime boundaries between Guyana and Venezuela.
In an official statement released this Wednesday, April 16, Venezuela made warnings toward the international oil corporations involved in the illegal operations over undelimited waters, calling them a violation of fundamental principles of international law.
These actors “may be subject to legal action and will not be recognized as having any rights to the illegally exploited resources,” the Venezuelan statement read.
Caracas pointed out that this persistent conduct demonstrates “an open disregard for international law and for the commitments assumed in the 2023 Argyle Agreement” on the part of Guyana, and added that Guyana is recklessly endangering regional peace and stability.
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“Venezuela reaffirms its commitment to peace, but will firmly defend its sovereign rights and will not accept provocations or faits accomplis,” it concludes.
On Tuesday, the Guyanese government announced that the arrival of the vessel One Guyana will mark the nation’s milestone of generating nearly one million barrels of oil offshore. It added that the start-up of ExxonMobil’s Yellowtail development project in the Stabroek block is approaching, following the arrival of the new oil plant, built by SBM Offshore.
The new Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, FPSO One Guyana, will be the fourth production vessel in Guyana, joining the Liza Destiny, Liza Unity, and Prosperity FPSOs.
Earlier this month, Venezuela warned of a “false flag operation” to attack a US ExxonMobil platform in waters that Caracas considers pending delimitation with neighboring Guyana. Executive Vice President Delcy RodrĂguez stated on April 5 that this operation sought to “justify some type of retaliation and military action against Venezuela.”
Venezuela: Army Remains on Alert Amid Guyana’s False Flag Operation
Last week, another statement from the Venezuelan government rejected Guyana’s previous statements regarding the dispute over the Essequibo territory.
Venezuela’s response came after Guyana called Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s statements regarding the 1966 Geneva Agreement “distorted.”
The disputes over the border boundaries surrounding Essequibo began with the Paris Arbitration Award of 1899, which gave sovereignty over the territory to the then-British Guiana.
Decades later, Venezuela declared that ruling null and void, and it was recognized as such by the signing of the 1966 Geneva Agreement with the United Kingdom—that later was ratified by Guyana in the Port Spain Protocol—which established the creation of a commission to resolve the historic dispute following the UN’s protocol for peaceful conflict resolution upon a mutual agreement basis.
(HispanTV) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
