Caracas (AFP) - Venezuela said Tuesday it is conducting military exercises in the eastern part of the country, a move neighboring Guyana denounced as an "extraordinary escalation" of an ongoing border dispute.Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said the troop buildup, which Guyana had noticed with concern, was an "operational deployment exercise."
He said Venezuelans could rest assured "because we are really preparing ourselves ... even with all the fronts we face today," alluding to simultaneous border tensions with Guyana and Colombia.
Guyana's President David Granger said his cabinet was meeting with military and police chiefs to craft a response to Venezuela's movement of naval vessels and ground forces in the area.
Venezuela has been pressing claims to Guyana's Essequibo region, which encompasses two-thirds of the former British colony, since Exxon Mobil discovered oil in disputed waters off its coast earlier this year.
Exxon will not let Venezuela have it.