Venezuelan Territorial Claims

Venezuela's Bolivarian National Guard seized a Guyanese fuel smuggling ship in the eastern Venezuelan municipality of Caroni on Oct. 23. This followed the Oct. 10 seizure of the Panama-flagged Teknik Perdana oil exploration ship, which was operating in waters claimed by both Venezuela and Guyana on behalf of U.S. oil company Anadarko. The seizure of the Teknik Perdana has exacerbated long-present tensions in Venezuela's relationship with Guyana. The two neighbors have had a territorial dispute since shortly after Venezuela emerged as an independent state in 1830. The territory in question comprises roughly half of Guyana's territory and is known to be rich in minerals including gold. Although the current borders were dictated in a treaty with the United Kingdom in 1899, Venezuela contends that the British unduly influenced the outcome in their favor.

Late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez largely left the issue alone, although there were occasional flare-ups in bilateral tensions with Guyana over the territory. The primary challenge for Guyana is that without having a final settlement of its land borders with Venezuela, the country is limited in its ability to secure and demarcate its western maritime border -- a fact that is impeding exploration for potential offshore oil and natural gas deposits. Since Chavez's death, however, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government apparently has decided to change course. The seizure of the Teknik Perdana is by far the strongest indicator of this shift. Though Venezuela is unlikely to acquire the Guyanese territory it has long claimed, the dispute still offers Caracas ample political opportunities to draw attention away from political uncertainty at home.

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