The country’s government says it has given permission to the US military to fly over the territory with jets; Maduro government says exercise is “threat”
The United States embassy in Guyana announced the carrying out of an overflight exercise with the South American country’s Defense Forces. According to an announcement made on Thursday (May 9, 2024), the government of Guyana allowed the US to fly two F/A-18 Super Hornet jets over its capital, Georgetown, in a demonstration of military cooperation. The Venezuelan government said on its social media profiles that it sees the measure as a “threat to regional peace”.
According to Venezuela’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yván Gil, in https://twitter.com/yvangil/status/1788620623859552718 on his profile on X (formerly Twitter), the announcement of the US Embassy in Guyana is “further proof of the provocations” that the Southern Command does against the Venezuelan government using a “war machine” against the country. Currently, Venezuela and Guyana are experiencing diplomatic tension over the dispute over the territory of Essequibo, a region rich in oil and minerals.
The Venezuelan foreign minister also wrote that the exercise is linked to the activities of the American oil company ExxonMobil in Guyana. “OExxonMobil’s desires know no limits. After taking control of Guyana, they intend to destabilize the region“. On March 15, 2024, the company discovered the Bluefin oil well, located in the Stabroek block, on the Essequibo coast, a disputed region.
Venezuela’s Defense Minister, Vladimir Padrino López, also commented on the case. He wrote that the United States’ measure is a “threat to regional peace”. He further said that: “Our Aerospace Defense system remains activated against any attempt to violate Venezuelan geographic space, including the territory of Essequibo. Alerts!”he concluded.
In the statement about the overflight, the United States embassy in Guyana said that “the exercise seeks to deepen the ongoing security cooperation between our countries”. Both sides stayed away from any reference to neighboring Venezuela’s measures on annexing the Essequibo region (On April 3, 2024, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro signed a law annexing the region).
The North American government also informed in its statement on Thursday (May 9) that the aircraft carrier USS George Washington and the Navy’s Carrier Strike Group Ten are in the region as part of a two-month transit to the Pacific, conducting similar exercises and exchanges with partners and allies.
