Georgetown- One of the key issues raised at yesterday's sitting of the 11th sitting of the National Assembly was the Decree issued by Venezuela. Minister Carl Greenidge told the house that the issuance of a Decree is well within President Maduro’s constitutional right. ,but what is not his right is to utilize the sovereign territory of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to generate maritime territory to meet Venezuela’s illegal ambitions. That is precisely what the Decree purports to do in relation to Guyana’s Essequibo. In addition, it mandates and authorizes the Venezuelan Navy to secure the area and clearly to prevent any other State from exploiting, without Venezuela’s consent, the resources of the area, an area that now includes a significant portion of Guyana’s maritime space.
Greenidge stated that the Decree in its baseless and shameless attempt at usurping Guyana’s territory is also intended to deny Guyana its legitimate right to continue the pursuit of existing developmental initiatives. It is also intended to impact negatively on other pending and future developmental initiatives in that portion of Guyana’s legitimate maritime space that falls within the area circumscribed by the Decree. For 49 years we have lived in the shadow of Venezuela’s illegal claim and attempts to despoil our country. The sword of Damocles, for the most part unseen, nevertheless hangs over our heads. Unless removed, it will be the legacy that will be inherited by our children. It is time to end this cycle. A definitive solution has to be found that will put to rest Venezuela’s contention of nullity.
Venezuela has, by its recent Decree, virtually given notice that it intends to continue increasing the pressure on Guyana and to weaken our resistance to its illegal claim. We will not waiver in our resistance.
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