US Defence Department officials begin visits to Guyana next week; “We are not going to succumb to Venezuela’s bullyism,”- Jagdeo

Last Updated on Thursday, 23 November 2023, 20:34 by Denis Chabrol

President Irfaan Ali addressing residents of Mabaruma. To his left is Guyana Defence Force Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan.

United States (US) Department of Defence officials are expected in Guyana next week for a defence cooperation visit, according to top government officials who on Thursday gave veiled suggestions that their country would receive international support if  Venezuela intensifies its aggression to press its claim to Essequibo County.

“We are going to plan for all eventualities,” he said, adding that two teams from the US Department of Defence would be paying two visits to Guyana next week and several other visits are planned for December. “We are not going to succumb to Venezuela’s bullyism,” he said.

President Irfaan Ali, speaking with residents of  Mabaruma, the regional capital for Region One (Barima-Waini) in north-western Guyana near Venezuela that “over the coming days, weeks and months you will see greater collaboration with our international partners because we are strengthening our defence cooperation and collaboration with the United States.” He said many training programmes have been planned between the US and Guyana.

He said Venezuela knows that it has a “weak case” that relies on a posthumously opened letter from a junior lawyer who had claimed irregularities in the award of the 1899 Arbitral Tribunal Award that Guyana maintains settled the land boundary between the two countries.

Instead, Mr Jagdeo said that country has threatened to leave the “peaceful means” of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), call a referendum to annex Essequibo, and use the territorial controversy to campaign for next year’s general elections. “People say to us they are doing this because of the internal politics. We can’t just think that this is internal politics without taking all possible measures to protect our country including working with others and all the options available to us to defend our country will be pursued, every option,” he said.

Vice President Jagdeo again denied that the US was setting up a military base in Guyana to attack Venezuela but was quick to point out that “we have to protect our national interest.”

Meanwhile, President Irfaan Ali flew into Mabaruma and told residents that if Venezuela behaved recklessly, Guyana would receive support. An edited version of the Mabaruma visit was streamed ‘live’ on the President’s Facebook page and the original live-as-it happened was removed.

The President hinted that technology was being used to monitor the Guyana-Venezuela border and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has been putting in place certain systems and physical presence based on its analysis. “I want to assure you that behind the scenes, in addition to the physical men and women you’re seeing on the gr0und, there is a lot more work that is going on,” he said. “There are series of activities that you would see that would demonstrate how solid this relationship is,” he added. He said Guyanese authorities have already picked up that female Venezuelan soldiers were being used to infiltrate the border.

The Guyanese leader said Brazil’s President Luis Inacio Lula Da Silva has made it clear that the ICJ is the place to settle the controversy.

The President was accompanied by National Security Advisor, Retired Captain Gerry Gouveia; Deputy Police Commissioner (Operations) Ravindradat Budhram and Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force Brigadier Omar Khan.