Conflicts & War

Venezuela maintains military exercises amid British ship’s arrival in Guyana

Caracas, Dec 29 (EFE). – Venezuela’s Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) on Friday continued its military exercises on the country’s Atlantic coast in response to the arrival of a British warship off the coast of Guyana,

On Thursday, Caracas said it considered the arrival of the British Navy’s HMS Trent a “hostile provocation” and a “direct threat to peace” in the midst of the territorial dispute it maintains with Georgetown.

“The FANB remains deployed in the joint action military exercise with the interoperability of aero-naval and aerospace means of the East Atlantic Territorial Defense System,” published on X (formerly Twitter) strategic operational commander, Domingo Hernández.

These maneuvers serve to evaluate “the level of readiness, high responsiveness and cohesion of the task force in the fulfillment of the mission of guaranteeing sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Hernández explained.

the commander also published photos showing the air, sea and land operations.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro declared on Thursday, that exercises were to be carried out in the state of Sucre (northeast, in front of the Caribbean Sea).

Maduro, insisted that the arrival of the ship is a “violation” of the agreements signed with his Guyanese counterpart, Irfaan Ali, on December 14 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the so-called Argyle Declaration.

Following the announcement of the ship’s arrival, Venezuela deployed 5,682 “fighters”, 28 aircraft and 16 boats, among other machinery for the military excercises, the duration and scope of which are unknown.

On Friday, Ali insisted on his commitment to maintain “peaceful relations” with Venezuela and stated that the arrival of the ship “does not represent a threat to anyone.

He added that the actions “in no way intend to be aggressive or constitute an offensive act against any state”.

The dispute with Guyana escalated after Venezuela approved on December 3, in a unilateral referendum, the annexation of the disputed territory, which is under the control of Georgetown and whose controversy is in the hands of the International Court of Justice. EFE

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