Belmopan, December 17, 2024.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade has received information of a Guatemalan vessel that was illegally traversing within Belizean waters in the area of the Sapodilla Cayes. Media reports suggested that the Guatemalan patrol boat ran aground on the Barrier Reef near the Sapodilla Cayes. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade has confirmed that the Guatemalan vessel did not run aground, as reported, and members of the Belize Coast Guard, after engaging with the Guatemalan officers on board, escorted the Guatemalan patrol boat out of Belizean waters.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade will strongly protest the illegal incursion by the Guatemalan patrol boat into Belizean waters and will call on the Guatemalan authorities to dissuade their armed forces from continuing to traverse into Belizean waters without authorization from Belizean authorities.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade will continue to engage with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala to insist that its Armed Forces respect the maritime and territorial integrity of Belize and its internationally recognized borders.
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