Venezuela and Guyana Tense over Sovereignty Issues
Tensions between Venezuela and Guyana escalated on May 5 when Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro proposed in a government meeting to submit a bill to the National Assembly to create a state called Guayana Esequiba in the area that Guyana has governed for more than a century, and to order the state oil company to issue licenses to extract crude oil.
In fact, Venezuela held a referendum on the future of the region on March 3, and 95% of voters supported the Venezuelan government's plan for Esequiba. At the same time, Guyana filed an emergency petition with the International Court of Justice, ICJ, to stop the referendum, but it was unsuccessful. Any action, or any attempt to act on the basis of the referendum, will (leave us) as an injured party before the UN Security Council," Guyana's Attorney General Anil Nandlall told AFP.
President Irfaan Ali of Guyana said that Brazil has always been a defender of stability in the country and looks forward to Brazil's influence in ensuring that sovereignty over the oil-rich territory of Essequibo, which is owned by Guyana, is maintained. Guyana's only hope is that Essequibo will remain peaceful and stable, so that everyone can live in harmony.
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