US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Venezuela that any attempt to invas the Guyana or threaten Exxon Mobil’s operations in the country would be a “very bad movement.”
Rubio made the statement less than a month after a Venezuelan patrol ship entered the Guianenses waters and positioning itself near an Exxon-hired vessel, which operates the world’s fastest growth oil field on the coast of the South American country.
“It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if they attacked Guyana or Exxon Mobil,” Rubio said in the capital Georgetown on Thursday. “Just say that if this regime did something like that, it would be a very bad movement. It would be a big mistake. For them.”
Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro reopened a border dispute over a century after it was resolved by international refereeing while sought to galvanize supporters for last year’s presidential election. The Military and Naval Arsenal of Maduro is much higher than that of Guyana, which was one of the poorest countries on the continent before the discovery of oil by Exxon in 2015.
Guyana president Irfan Ali has been successful in mobilizing the international community in support of the country’s dispute with Venezuela, with the United Kingdom, France and the US promising support.
“We have a big navy,” said Rubio. “She can get anywhere in the world.”
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Rubio also stated that the US would strengthen ties with Guyana, without going into detail. “We have commitments that exist today with Guyana,” he said. “We want to build on it, expand about it.”
Rubio was also scheduled to visit Suriname, which seeks to encourage oil exploration in offshore territory near Guianenses discoveries.
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