Britain is to send a warship to Guyana in a show of support for the former British colony part of which has been threatened with annexation by Venezuela. Caracas recently renewed its claim over the Essequibo territory which is rich in oil and minerals.
HMS Trent, one of five of the Royal Navy’s off shore patrol vessels, will take part in joint exercises in the region, the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
A MoD spokesperson said: “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.”
Tension over the border region has raised fears of a military conflict, with Venezuela insisting Essequibo was part of its territory during the Spanish colonial period.
Caracas argues a 1966 Geneva agreement with Britain and then-British Guiana, now Guyana, nullified a border drawn in 1899 by international arbitrators.
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The dispute was reignited with the discovery of oil in Guyana and escalated when Venezuelans voted in a referendum on December 3 on claiming two-thirds of its neighbour.
The offshore patrol vessel HMS Trent is in Barbados over Christmas and will then head to Guyana for activities which will be carried out at sea.
The ship is not expected to dock in Georgetown, Guyana’s capital.
Earlier this month, Foreign Office minister for the Americas and Caribbean David Rutley visited Guyana.
He said: “The border issue has been settled for over 120 years. Sovereign borders must be respected wherever they are in the world.”
Mr Rutley said Venezuela had promised to refrain from the use of force and any further escalation in the dispute.
He added that the UK would work internationally “to ensure the territorial integrity of Guyana is upheld”.
HMS Trent is a River-class patrol vessel, designed for work including what the Government describes as “defence diplomacy”.
The leaders of Guyana and Venezuela promised in a tense meeting earlier this month that neither side would use threats or force against the other.
Caracas has ordered state-owned companies to explore and exploit the oil, gas and mines in Essequibo. Both countries have put their militaries on alert.
Guyana has insisted the border controversy should be resolved by the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands. It said after the December meeing that Venezuela did not consent to that and does not recognise the court or its jurisdiction in the dispute.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is seeking re-election in next year’s presidential poll.