Venezuelan Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino emphasized that, in strict adherence to the constitutionally assigned mission of safeguarding the integrity of the national territory, its sovereignty, and independence, the “FANB remains on alert regarding this report.”
He indicated that the new plot by US imperialism “intends to carry out a false flag operation to attack the ExxonMobil platform operating in waters pending delimitation with the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, in order to generate confusion and initiate an escalation of aggression against our country.”
Padrino reminded the world that this traditional modus operandi of false positives, often carried out by imperial intervention, seeks to “cause conflict situations with premeditation and malice aforethought, and then invade sovereign nations and peoples with all its military and economic might.”
He stated that this behavior is part of “a worn-out script that has lost credibility in the international community.”
The military high command emphasized that “the Government of Guyana continues to flagrantly violate the 1966 Geneva Agreement” by unilaterally establishing a space where it cannot exercise jurisdiction.
In addition, it maintains “foreign drilling vessels and tankers carrying out exploration activities in the disputed area.”
The statement emphasized that the men and women of the armed forces “unconditionally support the firm policy of the Bolivarian Government” to uphold and respect the popular mandate expressed in the Consultative Referendum of December 3, 2023.
With high popular participation, Venezuelans ratified, in a democratic and participatory exercise, Venezuela’s historic rights to the Essequibo territory, she stated.
From this, she emphasized, “the iron will and determination to respond with forceful actions and a perfect popular-military-police fusion to any threat that threatens the integrity and peace of our beloved nation.”
“With the strength and dignity of this heroic people, they have not been able, nor will they be able!” she reaffirmed.
The Executive Vice President denounced yesterday that opposition leader María Corina Machado and the American-born mercenary Erik Prince, who is believed to be in charge of this operation, were involved in this false positive maneuver.
You know that next week is the Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States in Honduras, he noted, and noted that in that context, “they plan to attack the ExxonMobil platform in a sea that projects into the Essequibo and is yet to be delimited.”
ef/rgh/jcd