Acting Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Julie Chung on Wednesday called out Venezuelan President, Nicholas Maduro over the continued detention of two Guyanese registered fishing vessels and its crew.
In a tweet Wednesday afternoon, Chung said the U.S condemns Maduro’s intimidation through the seizure of fishing vessels and detention of crew.
“The U. S. supports a peaceful resolution of the maritime boundary controversy between Venezuela and Guyana,” her tweet further added.
Chung said the U.S echoes the Organization of American States (OAS) Secretariat’s call for their release without delay.
Earlier on Wednesday, the delegation of several member countries of the OAS joined with the General Secretariat in condemning the illegal detention of two Guyanese registered fishing vessels and their crew by the Venezuelan dictatorship even though the crew was within the Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The United States, represented by its Permanent Representative to the OAS, Ambassador Carlos Trujillo called for the release of crew and vessels immediately.
The issue made its way onto the agenda of a virtual meeting of the Permanent Council of the OAS on Wednesday.
Member States first heard from Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the OAS, Ambassador Riyad Insanally, who apprised them of the latest developments including the January 2020 decree by President Nicolas Maduro and the detention of the 12 member Guyanese fishing crew.
Insanally said Maduro’s decree is patently absurd and an unnoble hostile act.
The delegations, in turn, demanded that the Guyanese citizens are released promptly and safely to Guyanese authorities, as well as the two detained vessels. Moreover, the General Secretariat reiterated its support for the rules and processes set by international law regarding ongoing territorial conflicts.
See her full tweet below: The U. S. supports a peaceful resolution of the maritime boundary controversy between Venezuela and Guyana and condemns Maduro’s intimidation through the seizure of fishing vessels and detention of crew.
We echo the OAS Secretariat’s call for their release without delay.
