Venezuela has an oil license plan “in progress” in an area disputed with Guyana

The government of Venezuela maintains “on going” his plan to grant licenses for oil exploitation in the disputed area with Guyanain which companies authorized by Georgetown, which administers the territory in dispute, already operate, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yván Gil, reported this Monday.

The state oil company “PDVSA and the Venezuelan Corporation of Guayana (CGV) are working on the preparation of the dossier, the maps, everything that has to do with the terms of reference of what a concession includes and the technical work that is underway” , the chancellor said during a meeting with journalists in Caracas.

Last Tuesday, the Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduroannounced the granting “immediate” of licenses for the exploitation of oil, gas and mines in the disputed territory, within Venezuela’s plan to unilaterally annex this area that it has not controlled since 1899.

Although there is no progress in this regard, Gil stressed that the oil issue will be, despite Maduro’s previous announcement, one of those discussed in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on Thursday, when the president will meet with his Guyanese counterpart, Irfaan Ali, to address the dispute, which has escalated in recent days, and which has raised concerns about an escalation of war in the region, which led the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silvato mediate and propose the meeting.

The chancellor said that Venezuela “is willing to look for formulas for shared development” with Caribbean countries in energy matters, without explaining whether it is open to exploit, together with Guyana, the 160,000 square kilometers in dispute.

“I cannot get ahead of myself because we are just beginning a dialogue, but I can say, based on history, that Venezuela has truly probative elements of its disposition, its policy, its diplomacy, its intention to integrate,” the official said, despite the fact that the country had already decided, unilaterally, to annex the disputed area, for which Ripe He even appointed a single authority to administer the territory.

Gil criticized that, since 2015, Guyana has “refused to speak” with Venezuela about the oil concessions in this area, but celebrated that “This Thursday will begin precisely that conversation”at the presidential meeting promoted by Brazil and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac).