A pin worn by Venezuela’s acting President has sparked an international row
AOL.com • • world
Key Points:
- Guyana has lodged a formal complaint with Caribbean leaders after Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez wore a pin depicting the Essequibo region, a territory Venezuela claims but which constitutes two-thirds of Guyana’s land.
- The pin, increasingly worn by Venezuelan officials following a U.S. raid on Nicolás Maduro, symbolizes Venezuela’s territorial claim and was displayed by Rodríguez during visits to Barbados and Grenada.
- Guyanese President Irfaan Ali expressed concern that Rodríguez’s use of the pin during official trips might be seen as tacit acceptance of Venezuela’s claim, urging the Caribbean trade bloc Caricom to reflect principled support for Guyana in both statements and actions.
- The Essequibo dispute dates back to an 1899 boundary commission decision and is now before the International Court of Justice, with Venezuela’s use of maps and symbols asserting its claim seen by Guyana as provocative and undermining the legal process.
- Tensions have escalated with Venezuela sending gunboats to offshore oilfields licensed by Guyana, demanding the cessation of oil production, which Guyana’s oil rigs have ignored.
