Guayana Esequiba crisis

A British warship arrived off the coast of Guyana on Friday, further fueling tensions over a territorial dispute with Venezuela, which has launched a major military exercise in response to what it termed an "unacceptable" threat.

The new phase came after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered the deployment of the military near the borders, both on land and at sea.

The presidents of Venezuela and Guyana pledged after direct talks on Thursday not to resort to force to settle a long-simmering — and recently reheated — territorial dispute over the oil-rich Essequibo region, a joint statement said.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Monday that he views US military support of neighboring Guyana as a threat to resolving his nation's territorial claim there, and will bring it up in talks this week with his counterpart.

Maduro will meet Guyana President Irfaan Ali on Thursday in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency closed meeting Friday at the request of Guyana following Venezuela's weekend referendum claiming the vast oil- and mineral-rich Essequibo region that makes up a large part of its neighbor.

Let's recall that in a public address after Sunday's referendum on the annexation of the Essequibo region, Nicolas Maduro presented a map showing the territory of Guyana on the Venezuelan side.
The Essequibo region is rich in oil and has been a disputed territory since the 19th century when Guyana was a British colony.

Brazil announced it had begun deploying troops along its border with Venezuela after the government in Caracas said it intended to annex territory controlled by Guyana, the BBC reported on Thursday.

Agence France-Presse adds that the increased presence is part of efforts to "guarantee the inviolability of the territory".