No plans for ‘offensive action’ against Venezuela with British ship en route to Guyana – Jagdeo

Guyana has no plans to take any offensive action against Venezuela, Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo said on Thursday amid complaints from the Bolivarian Republic over an incoming British offshore patrol vessel.

“… we don’t have any plan to take offensive action against Venezuela.

“Whatever we do here has been routine, it has been long planned and part of building a defensive capability in Guyana. (It is ) not to fight wars but to police better our exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and (safeguard) our territorial integrity and sovereignty,” the Vice President said during a People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) press conference on Thursday.

The BBC reported that the United Kingdom (UK) sent the HMS Trent, an offshore patrol vessel, to take part in joint exercises after Christmas.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson told the BBC: “HMS Trent will visit regional ally and Commonwealth partner Guyana later this month as part of a series of engagements in the region during her Atlantic Patrol Task deployment.”

Jagdeo said such engagements were long in the making and not intended to harm or affect Venezuela. He, however, stressed that Guyana is committed to the Argyle Declaration, a joint pronouncement issued by Guyana and Venezuela following a meeting of Presidents Dr Irfaan Ali and Nicolas Maduro recently in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

“Nothing that we do or have done is threatening Venezuela,” Jagdeo stressed, adding that Guyana has not turned away the vessel.

On Wednesday, Vincentian Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said he spoke to both President Ali and Maduro about the vessel and told Venezuela, on behalf of Guyana, that the exercises planned are “not threatening exercises.”

He also spoke about the use of the vessel.

“This is a vessel which comes into the region. It comes here (in St. Vincent and the Grenadines) sometimes too, dealing with helping to interdict drugs, dealing with trafficking in persons (and) search and rescue. It has very limited, as I understand it, military capacity,” Gonsalves said during a radio programme.