Declaring that the United States will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Guyana in its defence of its territorial integrity, US Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot, announced today that the US also stands ready to lend assistance to the Guyana Defence Force in eradicating criminal elements from the bordering Cuyuni river area.

“Venezuela has also been in the news recently due to the Syndicatos acts of aggression against the GDF patroling the Cuyuni. These are criminals engaging in criminal activity and the United States stands ready to support the GDF in its effort to eradicate this activity along Guyana’s frontier and to ensure the safety and security of Guyana’s people”, the Ambassador said.

Ambassador Theriot made the comments while speaking at the Annual General Meeting of the Private Sector Commission of Guyana.

Just last week, three GDF patrols in the Cuyuni River near the border with Venezuela, came under gunfire from men dressed in civilian clothing on the Venezuelan side of the border. There were no injuries sustained by any of the local soldiers. However, two months back a similar incident took place and three GDF soldiers were injured in the attack in the same area.

The US Ambassador during her speech today, reiterated the US Government’s longstanding support of Guyana in the border row with Venezuela and its support of Guyana’s case against Venezuela at the International Court of Justice.

Turning her attention to Venezuela’s planned elections on May 25 to select a Governor for Guyana’s Essequibo region, the US Ambassador said those “sham” elections should be seen for being nothing more than bluster.

“Maduro’s rhetoric is inflammatory and unacceptable. But at the end of the day, it is just bluster aimed at shoring up domestic support. It should not affect Guyana’s investment climate or its readiness to do business”, Theriot told business leaders gathered at the Georgetown Marriott Hotel.

She said the US is also fully supportive of the ICJ’s provisional measures, which have called on Venezuela to halt its planned elections for a Governor of Guyana’s Essequibo region, which it continues to claim.

Ambassador Theriot said “we fully support the ICJ’s provisional measures for Venezuela to halt its so called ‘elections’ in the Essequibo on May 25th and we are extremely unhappy that they made that ill-advised decision to go ahead and move forward. And you will see a very strongly worded tweet coming from the State Department very soon on that issue and it will make it extremely clear to you, where the US stands. Everyone should see this sham for what it is. It is saber rattling from the Maduro regime and nothing more. And no amount of bluster or saber rattling will change the fact that the United States will always stand shoulder to shoulder with Guyana in support of its sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

The US Government has repeatedly made known its full support of Guyana. During a recent visit to Guyana, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, not only reaffirmed the US Government’s support, but also warned Venezuela against attacking Guyana or any of the ExxonMobil assets within Guyana’s waters.

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