(Bloomberg) — Key Biden administration national-security officials traveled to Guyana on Sunday as the US works to prevent the country’s dispute with Venezuela over oil and mineral riches from sliding into armed conflict.
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Jon Finer, the principal deputy national security adviser, and Juan Gonzalez, the White House National Security Council’s senior director for the Western Hemisphere, are continuing work on regional security and economic stability, the US Embassy in Guyana said.
The US Air Force’s southern commander, Major General Evan Pettus, was in Guyana last week to talk about the security cooperation as the US military strategizes how to help the nation protect its oil-heavy Essequibo region.
Tension began rising again in 2015, when US giant Exxon Mobil Corp. discovered massive oil reserves off the Guyanese coast. They flared up last year after Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro held a referendum that purportedly showed overwhelming support for his nation’s push to take control of the Essequibo.
Guyana pledged to maintain peace and to continue working toward a diplomatic solution after a Thursday meeting in Brazil.
Read more: Venezuela, Guyana Pledge to Keep Peace Amid Territorial Dispute
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has offered “unwavering support for Guyana’s sovereignty.”
Finer and Gonzalez will be in Colombia on Monday.
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