UK To Deploy Naval Ship To Guyana Amid Border Dispute With Venezuela

The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense announced Sunday that it will send a Royal Navy warship, HMS Trent, to Guyana's border amid an ongoing territorial dispute between the Latin American country and Venezuela.

However, the department didn't mention Venezuela or the border dispute in the announcement.

"HMS Trent will visit regional ally and Commonwealth partner Guyana later this month as part of a series of engagements in the region during her Atlantic patrol task deployment," a spokesperson of UK's Ministry of Defense said, Reuters reported.

HMS Trent is a river-class offshore patrol vessel launched in March 2018, built by shipbuilding company, BAE Systems Maritime – Naval Ships.

The announcement came after David Rutley, U.K.'s minister for the Americas, Caribbean and Overseas Territories, visited Guyana last week, during which he welcomed the recent agreement signed between the two nations over the Essequibo region dispute.

"I am in Guyana, a fellow Commonwealth member, to offer the UK's unequivocal backing to our Guyanese friends," Rutley said. "The border issue has been settled for over 120 years. Sovereign borders must be respected wherever they are in the world."

Rutley also took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share a glimpse of his meeting with Carla Barnett, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community, alongside other officials, in support of Guyana.

"We welcome the efforts of @CARICOMorg to initiate dialogue between Guyana and Venezuela. Their role is essential in upholding regional security," he wrote alongside the photo. "With

@SG_CARICOM, I discussed joint efforts to protect Guyana's sovereignty and UK support for Small Island Developing States."

He also met Guyana President, Irfaan Ali, and shared a picture of the same on social media.

"In Georgetown today, I reiterated our steadfast support for Guyana's territorial integrity, sovereignty and regional peace," he wrote. "The people of Guyana deserve to be free from threats to their country."

Rutley also had a meeting with the ambassadors from the U.S., Canada and the European Union to discuss international support for Guyana.

Venezuela and Guyana signed an agreement on Dec.14 to not escalate the tension over the 160,000 square kilometers (61,776 sq. miles) Essequibo region, which was recognized as part of Guyana. The Essequibo region represented two-thirds of Guyana's territory.

However, Venezuela had claimed the territory and some offshore areas in recent years after Guyana discovered oil and gas in the region.