Venezuela creates new state on territory disputed with Guyana

(Patria) - Lawmakers in Venezuela allied with the government of President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday approved the creation of a new state on territory that is the subject of a long-standing dispute with neighboring Guyana, despite an ongoing international court case, Reuters reported.

The approval is in line with Maduro's recent rhetoric about his country's right to administer the 160,000-square-kilometer Essequibo region, but it will have no immediate practical effect.

The two countries agreed last December to avoid any use of force and not to escalate tensions in the dispute following a meeting between Maduro and his Guyanese counterpart.

The International Court of Justice is to decide who owns the territory, but Venezuela's government has said it does not recognize that court and that a December referendum supporting the creation of a new state, among other things, gives it the right to control Essequibo and allow oil exploration there.

Venezuelan electoral authorities said more than ten million Venezuelans voted in the December referendum, but have not yet released results. Guyana has said its borders are not up for discussion and that it will defend its sovereignty.

The law creating the new state, named Guayana Esequiba, will take effect once published in the official gazette. The state's borders would be the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Brazil to the south, Guyana to the east, and the Venezuelan states of Delta Amacuro and Bolivar to the west.

The town of Tumeremo, in Bolivar, will be the capital "until a practical and mutually acceptable solution to the territorial controversy with the Cooperative Republic of Guyana is reached," the law states.

Venezuela has revived its claims to the territory and offshore areas in recent years following major oil and gas discoveries and ahead of elections expected this year.