Putin's friend, Venezuelan President Maduro, annexes province of Esequiba from the neighboring Guayana

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signed six decrees on the annexation of the oil-rich region of Guayana Esequiba.

This follows from a statement by the Venezuelan newspaper Ultimas Noticias.

Among the decisions made was the ratification of the new map of Venezuela and the appointment of a single head of the region, which was declared the 24^th state of the country and named Guayana Esequiba.

The annexation decision was made following the results of a referendum in Venezuela: according to official data, more than 95% of those who voted supported the annexation of Esequiba. Electoral experts and mass media suspect low turnout and fraud. The Central Election Commission of Venezuela has not yet published the results of the referendum.

Maduro called on Venezuelans to condemn critics of the annexation "in every street."

"Enough betrayal, enough of the fifth column," he said.

The day before, Guayana's President Irfaan Ali told the Associated Press that his government had already turned to allies and regional partners for military assistance.

"If Venezuela continues to act recklessly and recklessly, the region will be forced to respond. This is what we are doing. We are preparing a regional response," Ali said.

The opinion of the population of Esequiba - about 125,000 people live in the region - was not asked by either Venezuela or Guayana.

The annexation of the region was condemned by Great Britain, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Caribbean Community, and the Organization of American States, and the response is also being prepared by the American Common Market (MERCOSUR). The U.S. supported Guayana. Brazil, which has expressed concern over the situation, has said it does not want war in South America and has signaled its willingness to mediate in the talks. Meanwhile, Russia announced Maduro's visit to Moscow by the end of 2023.

Esequiba occupies almost three-quarters of the country and is roughly the size of Tunisia. Venezuela has claimed the region since 1811, when it became independent from Spain, and Esequiba went to Britain, whose colony Guayana was. The situation worsened in 2015 when oil and gas fields were discovered in Esequiba.

In early December 2023, the International Court of Justice of the United Nations ordered Venezuela to refrain from any action to change the situation in the territorial dispute with Guayana.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, the correspondent of the Ukrainian service of the BBC, Heorhiy Erman, believes that Guayana, part of whose territory Venezuela wants to annex, is in the same situation as Ukraine. The redistribution of borders by force may begin in this region so President Volodymyr Zelenskyy can pay a solidarity visit to Guayana.

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