Venezuela Plans Military Exercises in Response to UK Warship Deployment in Guyana

Venezuela has ordered its armed forces to conduct military exercises in response to the UK's decision to send a warship to support Guyana, its neighboring country. The military leaders have announced that 5,600 soldiers will participate in defensive exercises along Venezuela's eastern Caribbean and Atlantic coastlines. This move comes after Venezuelan voters recently supported the establishment of a new state, rich in oil, in the Essequibo region, which Guyana has administered for many years. President Nicolás Maduro, in a television address, stated that these exercises were a response to the UK's provocation and threat against Venezuela's peace and sovereignty. He considers the UK's actions to be practically a military threat and a violation of the recent agreement between Venezuela and Guyana to resolve their dispute peacefully. However, Guyanese Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo assured that the warship's presence is routine and part of building a defensive capability. He clarified that Guyana has no plans to invade Venezuela, as President Maduro is aware. The UK confirmed that HMS Trent will participate in joint exercises with Guyana after Christmas. Originally deployed to the Caribbean for anti-drug smuggling operations, the warship's mission was altered due to Venezuela's government's threat to annex the Essequibo region. The dispute stems from Venezuela's long-standing claim to ownership of Essequibo, a 61,000 square-mile area that comprises most of Guyana. This claim challenges the border established by an international agreement in 1899. Nevertheless, Guyana, as well as its predecessor British Guiana, has administered the Essequibo region for over a century.