Great Britain is preparing to send a warship to Guyana as a sign of diplomatic and military support for the former British colony, the BBC has learned.
It comes after neighboring Venezuela renewed its claim to a disputed part of Guyana’s territory that is rich in oil and minerals.
The British Ministry of Defense has confirmed that HMS Trent will take part in joint exercises after Christmas.
Guyana, a Commonwealth member, is the only English-speaking nation in South America.
HMS Trent, an off-shore patrol vessel, was deployed to the Caribbean to search for drug smugglers but was reassigned after the Venezuelan government threatened to annex Guyana’s Essequibo region earlier this month.
This raised fears that Venezuela could invade and spark the first interstate war in South America since the 1982 Falklands conflict.
Venezuela has long claimed ownership of the Essequibo, a 61,000-square-mile region that makes up about two-thirds of Guyana.
Its hills and jungles are rich in gold, diamonds and bauxite, while huge deposits of oil have been found on the coast, Federalna writes.
CREDIT: Staff Sergeant Tom Robinson RLC
E.Dz.
