The Interim Assistant Secretary at the Western Hemisphere Affairs Office, Julie Chung, on Wednesday called out Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro over the continued detention of two Guyanese-registered fishing vessels and his crew.
In a tweet on Wednesday afternoon, Chung said the United States is condemning Maduro’s threat by seizing fishing vessels and detaining a crew.
“The United States supports a peaceful resolution of the maritime border dispute between Venezuela and Guyana,” she added further.
Chung said the United States echoed the American Provinces Organization (OAS) Secretariat’s call for immediate release.
Earlier on Wednesday, several OAS member states’ delegation joined the General Secretariat to condemn the detention of one Guyanese registered fishing vessel and their crew from the Venezuelan dictatorship even though the crew is within the Guyana Unique Economic Zone (EEZ). .
The United States, represented by its Permanent Representative to the OAS, called Ambassador Carlos Trujillo for immediate release of crew and ships.
The issue made its way onto the agenda of a virtual meeting of the OAS Permanent Council on Wednesday.
The Member States first heard from Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the OAS, Ambassador Riyad Insanally, who informed them of the latest developments including the January 2020 decree of President Nicolas Maduro and the detention of the 12-member Guyanese fishing crew.
Insanally said Maduro’s decree was utterly absurd and a rigid hostile act.
The delegations, in turn, demanded the prompt and safe release of Guyanese citizens to the Guyanese authorities, as well as the two detained ships. Furthermore, the General Secretariat reiterated its support for the rules and processes imposed by international law regarding ongoing territorial conflicts.
See her full tweet below: The US supports a peaceful resolution of the debate over maritime borders 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.