The Guyana government has approved a defense cooperation exercise with the United States, allowing two U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jets to fly over Georgetown and surrounding areas.
The exercise was organized by the Guyana Defence Force and coordinated with the U.S. Southern Command.
According to Guyana’s government, the purpose was to deepen the ongoing security cooperation between the two nations.
Venezuela’s condemnation
Venezuela criticized the exercise, accusing the U.S. and Guyana of conspiring to provoke regional instability.
Caracas viewed the move as a direct threat to peace and stability in the region.
Venezuela’s Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino denounced the flyover as a “repeated provocation” by the Southern Command, supported by Guyana, which he likened to “a new North American colony.”
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Yvan Gil condemned the exercise as evidence of U.S. provocation towards Venezuela, emphasizing that Guyana was violating its international commitments.
He argued that Guyana’s cooperation with the U.S. Southern Command breaches the Argyle Declaration reached between the Guyanese and Venezuelan governments in December 2023.
Border dispute and the Argyle Declaration
The longstanding border dispute between Guyana and Venezuela, currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), involves the Essequibo region, which Caracas claims ownership of.
The region comprises about two-thirds of Guyana’s territory and is home to 125,000 of its 800,000 citizens.
In the December 2023 Argyle Declaration, President Irfaan Ali of Guyana and President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela agreed not to use or threaten force against each other while resolving the border dispute.
Both nations also vowed to avoid escalating conflicts in any form.
However, Venezuela contends that Guyana violated the agreement by allowing the U.S. military exercise.
Gil further accused ExxonMobil of seeking to destabilize the region and violate the Peace Zone established by the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
U.S. Embassy responds
The U.S. Embassy in Guyana described the exercise as an extension of the “routine security cooperation and expanding bilateral defense partnership” between Guyana and the U.S. The diplomatic mission highlighted that the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS George Washington and Carrier Strike Group 10 were in the region as part of a two-month transit to the Pacific.
During the transit, the USS George Washington is set to conduct military exercises with defense partners to increase interoperability, strengthen capacity, and support regional security and stability.
The U.S. Embassy reaffirmed its commitment to partner with nations aligned with democratic values, emphasizing General Laura Richardson’s commitment to “Team Democracy.”
