TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands, CMC – Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has thrown his support behind Guyana as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member state remains embroiled in a border dispute with Venezuela.
During a recent press conference, Premier Wheatley called on Venezuela to respect Guyana’s rights to the land and refrain from taking actions that will destabilize the region.
“We already see what’s taking place in other regions of the world; with all the challenges we have as humanity, we don’t need those challenges in the particular region,” the Premier said. “I would call on our commitment to humanity to prevail concerning territorial disputes.”
Wheatley also said he stands in solidarity with Guyana. As the BVI is an associate member of CARICOM, he also supports a statement issued by the regional body which backed Guyana in the ongoing dispute.
This British overseas territory recently moved to strengthen ties with Guyana, announcing that it will drop visa restrictions for nationals who comprise the largest group of expatriates in the community.
Guyana is currently enjoying regional and international attention as it has found oil reserves within its borders and is poised to become a major global oil economy.
Venezuela and Guyana are currently in a dispute over the oil-rich area of the Essequibo region.
Last Sunday, Venezuela staged a referendum in which it said 95 percent of the votes cast supported the annexation of the Essequibo region. President Nicolas Maduro announced soon afterward that foreign companies working in Essequibo would have to withdraw within three months.
He said he was also proposing a special law to prohibit all companies that work under Guyana concessions from any transaction and that Caracas would create a military unit for the disputed territory but that it would be based in a neighboring Venezuelan state.
Before the referendum, the ICJ ruled that Venezuela must not take any action to seize Essequibo, which Guyana has administered for over a century.
The Essequibo makes up about two-thirds of Guyanese territory and is home to 125,000 of the country’s 800,000 citizens, but is also claimed by Venezuela.
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