Guyanese President Irfaan Ali said on Saturday that a Venezuelan coast guard patrol entered Guyanese waters earlier in the day, approaching an output vessel in an offshore oil block managed by Exxon Mobil.
The South American neighbors are involved in a long-running dispute about which country owns the 160,000-square-km (62,000-square-mile) Esequibo area, which is the subject of an ongoing case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The northwest portion of the block, close to Venezuela, has remained in force majeure as the Exxon group has been unable to complete exploration there.
"During this incursion, the Venezuelan vessel approached various assets in our exclusive waters, including FPSO Prosperity," Ali said in a statement.
The Venezuelan government denied Ali's allegations and claimed that the waters they entered were not part of Guyanese territory since it is a maritime zone pending delimitation in accordance with international law.
"Irfaan Ali is blatantly lying when he states that units of the Venezuelan navy are violating Guyana's territory," the Venezuelan government said in a statement shared on Telegram.
Guyana summoned the Venezuelan ambassador to meet with its foreign minister and discuss Guyana's strong objections, and its embassy in Caracas has been advised to lodge a formal complaint with Venezuela, Ali added.
Guyana will also formally report this incident to the ICJ and engage with international partners like the intergovernmental organization CARICOM, the statement added.
The Guyanese government has also deployed unspecified air assets, Ali added.
Venezuela requested Guyana to stop sidestepping the Geneva agreement, referring to a 1966 treaty to resolve the border dispute, and asked the country to "comply with its commitments to seek a solution."
The Organization of American States (OAS) condemned the Venezuelan incursion in "Guyana's internationally recognized maritime territory".
The incident was a violation of Guyana's territory, the United States Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said on X. "Further provocation will result in consequences for the Maduro regime," it added.
(Reuters - Reporting by Kemol King in Georgetown; Aditional Reporting by Mayela Armas; Writing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Nia Williams)
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