A number of countries on the Permanent Council of the American Provinces of America (OAS) have today condemned Venezuela’s recent acts of aggression against Guyana.
The countries are calling for the immediate release of Guyanese fishermen and their vessels being caught illegally in Venezuela.
During the Permanent Council meeting, Guyana’s Ambassador, Riyad Insanally, informed of Venezuela’s recent actions. Insanally, the actions of Venezuela’s President Nicholas Maduro, like the recent decree repeating that country’s illegal claims to Guyana’s Essequibo region, are “disturbing”.
Permanently informed the Permanent Council that Venezuela’s actions pose a threat to security in the entire region.
Insanally also urged Venezuela to accept the jurisdiction and ruling of the World Court, as it surely does, and cited Guyana’s reliance on the international community for support.
And indeed, many countries registered their dissatisfaction with Venezuela.
Trinidad Representative Phillip Spencer reiterated CARICOM’s statement on the debate. He also read a statement from Trinidad’s Foreign Minister Amery Browne, who had called the Venezuelan Ambassador for a discussion on the matter.
Antigua and Barbuda Representative to the OAS, Ambassador Ronald Saunders, also expressed concern over Venezuela’s actions of detaining Guyanese fishermen. He threw his support behind the CARICOM declaration and the OAS declaration as well, and called for an end to Venezuelan aggression against Guyana and the immediate release of the fishermen.
The US representative to the OAS, Bradley Freden, condemned the seizure of fishing vessels and called for immediate release of crew members. Expressing similar sentiments were Brazilian, Belizean and Canadian missionaries.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s representative Gustavo Tarre Briceno sought to defend his government when he had the opportunity to speak to the OAS Permanent Council. He said Venezuela had a right to defend its ‘territory’. According to him, other methods of conflict resolution should be turned to that International Court of Justice (ICJ).
However, he rejected Tarre’s intervention insanely stating that Maduro’s regime is not legitimate. He also reminded madly Guyana’s provision of humanitarian aid to Venezuelan refugees and made it clear that Guyana’s friendship should not be abused.