Guyana asked the US for help in strengthening its defenses against Venezuelan threats to advance on Essequibo.

Government of of Guyana He said he was looking US aid To improve its defense capabilities amid threats from neighbors Venezuela May one day occupy disputed territory in Western Guyana Rich in minerals and oil.

The announcement follows two days of talks between senior Guyanese officials Daniel P. Erickson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Western Hemisphere, who traveled to the South American country to discuss defense and security partnerships.

Negotiations ended Tuesday night when Erickson said The United States will help Guyana build a more organized and better equipped army In the coming months. He did not give further details. Ericsson also said that security forces and special training teams that visited Gaya last year would continue to do so in 2024.

Erickson told reporters that Guyana was looking to modernize its defense capabilities and that part of the talks focused on space and capability as well as cyber security.

“What is of great interest to us is to ensure that, as Guyana seeks to enhance its defense capabilities, it does so through a plan that is strategic, integrated into its overall defense institutions and sustainable over time,” Erickson said.

He described the talks with Guyanese officials as fruitful and said the United States is aware of the steps needed to improve defense capabilities.

“We look forward to working with them, especially to deepen the exchange of information,” he said. “We know that Guyana is a curve In terms of its own economic development, in terms of the regional role that it is able to play, and that is why we want to ensure that our defense relationship with Guyana continues over time.”

Eriksson’s trip comes just weeks after a centuries-old dispute over the territory Essequibo Guyana, while Venezuela held a referendum in December to claim sovereignty over an area representing two-thirds of Guyana.

Tensions continued to mount until late last year, when Guyana’s president, Irfan Aliand the dictator of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, They met on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent as part of an emergency mediation meeting organized by regional leaders to prevent further escalation. After the meeting, both parties agreed Avoid using force, But the territorial dispute continues.

Venezuela has long insisted that Essequibo was part of its territory during the Spanish colonial period and maintains that the 1966 Geneva Agreement between Venezuela, Great Britain and then British Guiana, now Guyana, It annulled the border drawn by international arbitrators in 1899.

Venezuela has intensified its aggression towards Guyana after the American oil giant ExxonMobil And its consortium partners discovered huge oil and gas reserves off the coast of Guyana in 2015. Daily production is about 600,000 barrels of oil and is expected to increase.

Late last year, the United States and Guyana conducted regular joint overflights near the border area with Venezuela during the height of tensions ahead of the Venezuelan referendum. Guyana also hosted joint military exercises with the United States and other Caribbean nations in July.

a A British warship It also reached Guyana in late December, prompting Venezuela to begin military exercises near the disputed territory. The UK Ministry of Defense said the ship visited Guyana as part of multiple engagements with the region and that the ship will undergo training exercises with the Guyanese military.

Tensions between Guyana and Venezuela have eased somewhat this month and the two countries’ leaders are due to meet in Brazil later this year to continue talks.

(with information from AP)