CARACAS, Venezuela: Venezuela’s parliament Friday adopted a law to create a federal state in disputed oil-rich area of Essequibo across the border in Guyana, which has condemned the move as a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty.
Caracas has long claimed Essequibo, which makes up about two-thirds of Guyana’s territory, but began aggressive efforts to reclaim the land after large offshore oil deposits were discovered there in 2015.
Lawmakers on Thursday unanimously approved the law, which was drafted after a referendum in December. Officials said 95 percent of voters supported declaring Venezuela the rightful owner of Essequibo.
The newly-passed law has been transmitted to the Supreme Court to validate its constitutionality. In a statement, Guyana’s foreign ministry said the government was “gravely concerned over the adoption of a law by the Venezuelan National Assembly declaring the Essequibo region … to be a constituent part of Venezuela.”
Guyana government termed the move a flagrant violation of Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and also called on the international community to “uphold the rule of law by rejecting Venezuela’s illegal expansionism.”
Essequibo has been under Guyanese sovereignty for over a century and is the subject of border disputes at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. Venezuela rejects the jurisdiction of the court in this case.
Caracas has long insisted that the region, home to 125,000 of Guyanese’s 800,000 citizens, should remain under its control.
The unrest reignited in 2015 when US energy giant ExxonMobil discovered huge oil reserves in the Essequibo, and peaked last year when Georgetown began auctioning oil blocks in the area.
The December referendum raised international concerns about the possibility of military conflict in the largely peaceful South American country.
Tensions escalated after Britain sent warships to the region and President Maduro mobilized 5,600 troops for military exercises near the border.
However, tensions eased after Maduro and Guyanese President Irfaan Ali agreed not to use force after their foreign ministers met in Brazil in January.
