UK military ship to participate in planned routine exercises in Guyana – Dr. Jagdeo

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, has assured that the recent deployment of the patrol vessel HMS Trent by the United Kingdom (UK) to participate in joint exercises with Guyana is part of planned routine exercises and will not threaten Venezuela’s territorial integrity.

On Thursday, Dr Jagdeo informed media operatives that President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has engaged with the Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves where he has assured that these measures are simply part of the country’s building its defense capability.

He emphasised that Guyana has no plans to take ‘offensive action’ against Venezuela.

“We don’t plan on invading Venezuela. President Maduro knows this and he needs not have any worry about that. That assurance was given to him in St Vincent and the Grenadines and we have done so before St Vincent and the Grenadines and we will continue to do so now,” the general secretary assured at his end of year press conference at Freedom House.

He further highlighted, “Whatever we do here has been routine and has been long planned and it’s part of our building a defensive capability in Guyana. Not necessarily to fight wars but to police better our exclusive economic zone and our territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

The GS further reaffirmed that Guyana respects the joint declaration of Argyle made on December 15, which states that both Guyana and Venezuela “directly or indirectly, will not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances, including those consequential to any existing controversies between the two states.”

The Argyle Declaration was made after President Ali and President Maduro met in St Vincent and the Grenadines, following Venezuela’s aggressive claims to Guyana’s Essequibo region.