The Venezuelan government “strongly” rejected a recent oil production license granted by Guyana to the American company ExxonMobil in “undelimited” maritime areas, which may “compromise resources” that Caracas considers its own.
“It is necessary to indicate that the government of Guyana does not have sovereign rights over these marine areas and, consequently, any action within these limits contravenes the regulations and agreements established by international law,” said the Venezuelan Executive in a statement.
He assured that there has been a “sequence of illegitimate acts perpetrated by Guyana”, which he accused of “radically violating international law, through a chain of abuses and transgressions that are outside international legality and compliance with its commitments.” established” at the bilateral meeting on December 14.
“Venezuela reiterates that any concession that Guyana grants or intends to grant in the areas in question is unacceptable, since it is a violation of international law and the sovereignty of Venezuela, so Venezuela is obliged to warn that such actions do not generate any type of rights to third parties who participate in said process,” he expressed.
On Friday, the Guyanese government announced that it has granted an oil production license to ExxonMobil, the operator of the Stabroek block, for its sixth offshore development in the country, called Whiptail.
This project, with an investment of 12.7 billion dollars, will produce 250,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd), which will raise Guyana’s daily production to 1.3 million bpd by the end of 2027.
“This development will include up to ten drilling centers with 48 production and injection wells,” Guyana’s Ministry of Natural Resources said in a statement.
According to the note, oil production from this sixth development will generate billions of dollars in revenue for Guyana, thus supporting “significant economic and social improvement for the country and its citizens.”
The conflict between both countries over the territory of Essequibo – about 160,000 square kilometers – reached its peak after Venezuela held a unilateral referendum on December 3 in which it approved annexing the area in question, and the Maduro government ordered the establishment of a military division near the area, among other measures.
The entry Venezuela rejected the oil license granted by Guyana in “undelimited” areas was first published in EL NACIONAL.