T&T could get caught in the crossfire…

RUSSIA BUYS INTO GUYANA-VENEZUELA ROW

TRINIDAD and Tobago could soon be sitting next to a high-octane international land dispute with the militarily strong Russia as a key war aggressor.

Russia, which has the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear weapons and the second-largest fleet of ballistic missile submarines, is actively supporting Venezuela in its territorial dispute with Guyana.

International diplomats say Russia has sent representatives to Caracas to pledge support for President Nicholas Maduro, who has ignited the powder keg of the Essequibo land row.

Maduro could already count on the support of the terrorist group Hezbollah, which, according to the United States, has a “significant presence” in Venezuela.

Iran, which also has military power, is supporting Venezuela in its attempted land grab of the energy-rich territory that is roughly two-thirds of Guyana’s land mass.

For its part, Venezuela has accused the US of attempting to set up a military base in Guyana.

According to the Venezuelans, that would “put the peace and stability of the entire region at risk.”

Guyana was described as “arrogant and hostile” and “a subordinate Government, hostage to the transnational ExxonMobil, which prohibits it from resuming sovereign dialogue with Venezuela.”

With T&T just seven miles from Venezuela and Guyana a fellow Caricom country, this country could get caught in the crossfire.

The land conflict, which dates back to 1831, has been subject to several international peace accords, the most recent being the Port of Spain Protocol, in 1970.

But Venezuela resumed aggression after Essequibo was found to be oil-rich and Guyana was touted as the “Next United Arab Emirates.”

Guyana is projected to become the world’s highest crude oil producer by 2035.

Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin is a long-standing ally of Maduro, providing trade in oil following the US embargo and personal protection for Maduro.

Putin previously deployed nuclear-capable bombers to Venezuela, and this led to the militarisation of that country’s borders.

Diplomats say Russia is also prepared to deploy troops.

“Guyana’s defence forces are outnumbered more than 100 to 1 against Venezuela’s sprawling security apparatus and have only a handful of patrol craft to defend the country’s waters,” international experts Paul J. Angelo and Wazim Mowla said in an analysis.

Venezuela reportedly has modern tanks, artillery, aircraft and a navy.

The experts recalled that in recent years Venezuela stopped a vessel bound for Guyana and interrupted oil exploration in Guyanese waters.

Rising oil prices could win support for Venezuela from some customer countries, observers say.

Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali has said that Venezuela is trying to undermine his country’s territorial integrity.

Ali has raised fears of a threat to peace in the region.

Caricom said it hopes that Venezuela is not seeking to use force.

Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley has urged Venezuela to respect Guyana’s sovereignty, but observers say he is walking a tightrope with the expected financial returns from the Dragon gas fields.

T&T and Guyana have seen thousands of Venezuelan refugees as a result of the economic hard times and the authoritarian leadership of Maduro.

One analyst Mathew Smith called on the United States and Brazil to “act as guarantors for Guyana’s territorial integrity.”