Venezuela blasts visit of senior British official to Guyana

A visit to Guyana by Britain’s Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) David Rutley, has been denounced by Venezuela.

In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, Venezuela’s Foreign Minister, Yván Gil, insisted that the border dispute regarding the ownership of the Essequibo region will be resolved directly between Caracas and Georgetown.

The Essequibo region makes up about two-thirds of Guyana and is home to 125,000 of the country’s 800,000 citizens.

“The former invading and enslaving empire, which illegally occupied the territory of Guyana Esequiba and acted in a skillful and sneaky manner against the interests of Venezuela, insists on intervening in a territorial controversy that they themselves generated,” Gil wrote. 

"The only valid action of the United Kingdom will be the recognition of its responsibility before international law and the obligations derived from the Geneva Agreement of 1966."

Rutley, who met with Guyana’s President Dr Irfaan Ali, reaffirmed Britain’s support for Guyana’s territorial integrity.

“We have been working very closely with other nations, bilateral allies, like-minded countries and also international bodies," he said.

“I’ve been speaking to Brazil, the Commonwealth, other countries on the United Nations Security Council, like Ecuador, and working with other countries, like Colombia, to understand where they are and also to encourage them to speak up and highlight how important it is to respect the territorial integrity but also to highlight how unacceptable and unjustified Venezuela’s actions are.”

A government statement issued following the talks in Georgetown said that the “discussions focused on the continuation and expansion of the relationship between the UK and Guyana, especially in areas of sustainable and economic development and security”.

The Joint Declaration of Argyle for Dialogue and Peace between Guyana and Venezuela, issued following talks in St Vincent and the Grenadines between President Ali and President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, also indicated that the two countries agreed that “any controversies” between them will be resolved in accordance with international law, including the Geneva Agreement dated February 17, 1966”.

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