France and Guyana to collaborate on monitoring Venezuela movements

Last Updated on Saturday, 4 October 2025, 6:59 by Writer

Chair of France’s Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Armed Forces, Senator Cédric Perrin

Hours after France said it was ready to offer Guyana air and sea radar systems to monitor Venezuela’s movements in its territory, President Irfaan Ali said Guyana was ready to acquire the “ingredients” in the interest of its stability.

Speaking at a reception to mark the opening of the French Embassy in Guyana, Dr Ali confirmed that Guyana and France are cooperating in defence and security, among other areas. “Next year, we are going to launch a very important piece of national asset and, of course, our discourse in advancing a package of important ingredients to maintain the stability of our region,” he said.

He also said Guyana recognises the value of collaborating to develop joint strategies to enhance maritime surveillance capability and share intelligence to address emerging security threats.

Guyana will next year acquire a French-made offshore patrol vessel (OPV) which is currently under construction, having already been paid for. It will join the nearshore patrol vessel, GDFS Shahoud to bolster the Guyana Defence Force’s (GDF) capacity to patrol the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) against incursions, illegal fishing and transnational crime.

Earlier on Friday, the Chair of France’s Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Armed Forces, Senator Cédric Perrin, told a news conference that his country has the technology to provide air and sea radar coverage which would allow Guyana to be aware of incursions by Venezuela. “It is evident that due to this tense situation with Venezuela that Guyana needs to acquire equipment to do surveillance and the only country around that has the capacity to cooperate and to bring support is France,” he said.

Chair of France’s Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Armed Forces, Senator Cédric Perrin, and President Irfaan Ali at the opening of the French Embassy in Guyana.

Registering France’s displeasure about previous incursions by Venezuela, he emphasised the need for “interoperability” between his country’s equipment and those that could be acquired by the GDF. “It means that the Guyanese equipment must have the capacity to communicate with the French equipment. Now, it’s for the military to see what equipment they will need,” he said.

He noted that France is the closest country to Guyana with a military base that could assist this former British colony. “This will allow us to accompany and to help Guyana to train and also to exchange intelligence,” he said.

Perrin said the services could be provided through France’s Thales Group which specialises in aerospace, defence, cyber and digital technological support.

Venezuela is claiming the 160,000 square kilometre Essequibo Region and the oil-rich Atlantic sea-space as hers. The dispute over the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Tribunal Award is before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).