The UK is targeting Venezuela in the dispute with Guyana over Essequibo

The UK is targeting Venezuela in the dispute with Guyana over Essequibo

(CNN) — British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Thursday that he sees “no case at all for unilateral action by Venezuela” in Guyana days after a referendum called by Nicolas Maduro’s government in which voters approved the creation of a new Venezuelan state in the country. Essequibo.

Cameron made these statements during a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at the State Department in Washington.

“This border was established in 1899. I see no argument at all for unilateral action by Venezuela; it must stop, it is wrong,” he added. “I hope to make some phone calls later with the President of Guyana and others.” In the region to try to ensure that this regressive step that has been taken does not go any further.

During the conference, Cameron expressed his satisfaction with the measures taken by the United States in the context of the conflict. who expressed his support for Guyana’s sovereignty.

In 1899, the Paris Arbitration Award was granted to the British who ruled the colony of Guyana at the time. Sovereignty over the oil-rich region It is the subject of controversy. Decades later, Venezuela denounced the flaws in the proceedings before the United Nations and made clear that it considered the ruling null and void.

In 1966, the Geneva Agreement was signed, in which the United Kingdom recognized the existence of a dispute over the Essequibo Territory. In the same year, Guyana became independent, beginning a phase of direct negotiations with Venezuela.

Through your X account (Previously on Twitter), the Vice President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, responded to the British Foreign Secretary’s statements, saying, “The only regressive thing is the political, economic and social distress that the United Kingdom has fallen into, especially since Britain’s exit from the European Union, for which David Cameron bears direct responsibility.” about him”.

He added, “It is worth reminding them that they are also signatories to the Geneva Agreement, which they intend to violate today.”

This was denounced by Guyana, with the referendum and measures implemented since then, in Caracas It seeks to “annex” the disputed areaIt is a term also used by the International Criminal Court.

With reports from CNN’s Haley Britsky, Osmari Hernandez, German Badinger, Galen Bickford, Hande Atay Alam and Mia Alberti