The United States (US) on Wednesday threw its support behind Guyana, with a senior State Department official condemning Venezuela’s recent acts of aggression and demanding that the Spanish-speaking country release the Guyanese ships and deploy them. recent illegal detention.
According to a statement released on her social media post, the acting Assistant Secretary of the US Western Hemisphere Affairs Office, Julie Chung, condemned the actions of the Nicholas Maduro regime’s threat against Guyana. He also expressed support for the American Institute of States (OAS) own statement on the issue.
“The United States supports a peaceful resolution of the maritime border dispute between Venezuela and Guyana, and condemns Maduro’s threat by seizing fishing vessels and detaining crew. We echo the call of the OAS Secretariat for their immediate release, ”Chung said in her statement.
The two Guyanese-registered fishing boats, with combined crews consisting of 12 men, were operating off the coast of Waini Point in Guyana’s Unique Economic Zone (EEZ) when intercepted by the Venezuelan naval ship Commandante Hugo Chavez GC 24 on January 21.
The captain of one of the ships, Lady Nayera, is Captain Richard Ramnarine and includes crew members Ramlakan Kamal, Nick Raghubar, Javin Boston, Michael Domingo and Joel Joseph.
The other ship, the Sea Wolf, is Captain Toney Garraway, and includes crew members Errol Gardener, Orland Roberts, Christopher Shaw, Shirvin Oneil and Randy Henry.
These Guyanese fishermen have since been brought to court in Venezuelan, and reports indicate that they will be held in custody for about 45 days pending an investigation.
The detention of the two ships comes on the heels of the recent presidential decree of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro, which reinforced his country’s illegal assertion of Guyana’s Essequibo region.