Aug. 14 (UPI) -- With less than three weeks before Guyana's general elections Sept. 1, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has intensified his rhetoric over a long-standing territorial claim to the Essequibo, a region that makes up more than 60% of Guyana's territory and that Caracas claims as its own.
The region bordered by Venezuela on the west, Brazil on the southwest and the Atlantic Ocean on the north: It contains dense rainforests, highlands, savannas and low coastal plains.
In his weekly address Tuesday, Maduro said Venezuela "will recover the Essequibo sooner rather than later," a statement that heightens diplomatic tensions at a sensitive moment for the English-speaking nation, which is preparing to elect a new parliament and president amid an unprecedented oil boom and growing regional polarization.
"No matter what ExxonMobil, imperialism or the International Court of Justice do, the Essequibo is and will be Venezuela's," the Venezuelan president said, firmly rejecting any ruling from the Hague-based court.
While such remarks are not new in Venezuela's official rhetoric, they come as Guyana gains international prominence thanks to the rapid development of its oil industry in the offshore area adjacent to the Essequibo.
