**:Xinhua.
Caracas, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Nicolas Maduro announced on Dec. 28 that the country will hold military exercises off the eastern Caribbean coast in response to the visit of the British Royal Navy's patrol ship USS Trent.
Maduro said in a speech on state television on the same day that the British ship entered the waters near Guyana to undermine the partial peace agreement reached between Venezuela and Guyana a few days ago, and that Venezuela will hold military exercises to defend national sovereignty and peace, and will take all actions within the scope of international law in response. He said: Venezuela believes that regional peace can be maintained through dialogue and diplomatic channels, and resolutely opposes any country threatening Venezuela militarily.
The British Ministry of Defense recently issued a statement saying that the "Trent" patrol ship will visit Guyana at the end of this month as part of its Atlantic patrol mission.
In recent times, the dispute between Venezuela and Guyana over the oil-rich Essequibo region has intensified, and tensions have been held in the border area between the two countries, with the U.S. Southern Command and the Guyana military conducting military exercises in the disputed territory. A number of regional organizations and countries in Latin America have expressed their position to resolve the territorial dispute between the two countries through dialogue. To this end, Prime Minister Gonzaves of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the rotating presidency of CELAC, sent telegrams to Maduro and Ali of Guyana on 9 June, inviting the heads of state of the two countries to hold direct dialogue on the issue of territorial disputes under international mediation, which was welcomed by the two countries.
On the 14th, Maduro and Ali met in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and reached a partial peace agreement, which included: the two sides agreed not to threaten or use force under any circumstances;The two sides agree that any dispute shall be settled in accordance with international law and the Geneva Accords signed in 1966;The two sides agreed to find ways to coexist peacefully and promote regional unity;The two sides agreed to continue high-level dialogues, the next of which will be held in Brazil;The two sides agreed to avoid any incident that could escalate tensions in the disputed area, and if they did, they promised to communicate with each other as soon as possible and resolve the dispute with the participation of CELAC, CARICOM and Brazil.