John Kirby, a spokesperson for the United States National Security Council, stated on Monday that they see no indication of upcoming hostilities at the Guyana-Venezuela border.
Over the weekend, there was a series of correspondences between the two neighboring South American nations. The Government of Venezuela, led by President Nicholas Maduro, has accused its English-speaking neighbor of granting illegal oil exploration concessions in the disputed Essequibo territory.
This statement was in response to Guyana’s Government on Saturday accusing Venezuela of military advancements towards the border. Satellite imagery captured has indicated that the Venezuelan military is active near the eastern border it shares with Guyana.
Guyana’s Foreign Minister, Hugh Todd and Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud have stated that Guyana is closely monitoring the situation at the eastern river border. The officials claimed that the advancement by Venezuelan militia is in breach of the Argyle Declaration signed in December.
At a recent January meeting between the two countries, mediated by Brazil, Venezuela vowed to stick to diplomatic resolutions. Overall, both countries agreed not to use force or escalate tensions.