Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday said the government is taking steps to safeguard the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as tensions with Venezuela persist.
Speaking at his weekly press conference, Dr Jagdeo emphasised that national security matters require discretion, ruling out public discussions on military strategies.
“If I were to go and say this is our specific plan to counter Venezuelans arriving here, this is what the army is doing … it would be extremely stupid of me to do that,” he said.
Dr Jagdeo stated that the government is addressing the issue at the highest levels, including daily discussions at the presidential level.
“We’re working with a number of partners around the world to ensure that any Venezuelan aggression that manifests itself in a physical form would be dealt with appropriately,” he added.
The Vice President also warned that any Guyanese supporting Venezuela’s efforts to claim parts of the Essequibo region or organise elections there would face treason charges.
Dr Jagdeo reiterated his party’s long-standing position on the border controversy, saying that even during periods of election rigging in Guyana, they did not waver in their stance on the territorial issue.
His comments come after G7 foreign ministers condemned Venezuela’s actions on 1 March, when Caracas sent a naval vessel into Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
“For the first time in our history, we had the G7 foreign ministers – these are the biggest countries in the world – in a joint statement mention this issue,” he said.
Prior to the incursion, in February this year, a group of heavily armed men attacked a Guyana Defence Force (GDF) vessel from Venezuelan territory, injuring six soldiers.
