Guyana is a country in South America that has a river called Ethequipo in its eastern region, which is rich in oil and natural resources. However, this land is also the object of long-term contention by Venezuela, which considers the area of Esekuipo to be its territory, not part of Guyana.
Recently, the territorial dispute escalated after Britain decided to deploy a ship** off the coast of Guyana, called HMS Trent, and planned joint military exercises with Guyana. The United Kingdom, a former colonizer of Guyana and a member of the Confederation of Great Britain, claims to support Guyana's sovereignty and security.
Venezuela strongly deplores this as a provocation and threat to its peace and sovereignty by the United Kingdom. Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela issued an order on Thursday (28th) to require more than 5,600 military personnel to go to the waters of the Ethequipo region to conduct defensive military exercises. He also urged Guyana to take immediate steps to get the British out of the region and not get involved in territorial disputes.
According to the British newspaper The Guardian, Maduro said that the United Kingdom's dispatch of ** to Guyana was an "act of aggression" and a "challenge" to Venezuela. He said that Venezuela will defend its territory and will not allow any foreign power to interfere.
The territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana has a long history, and the Ethequipo region is about 160,000 square kilometers in size and is considered by most people to belong to Guyana. The two countries held a summit on the 15th and reached an agreement promising not to use force to settle the dispute, but the dispute remains unresolved.