A UK minister will stress the Government’s backing for Guyana when he meets the country’s president later, amid a bitter dispute with Venezuela over a vast border region rich with oil and minerals.

British minister for the Americas and Caribbean David Rutley will become the first G7 minister to visit Guyana since a Venezuelan referendum saw tensions flare over the Essequibo region.

Mr Rutley will meet Guyanese President Irfaan Ali as well as senior government and military officials.

Guyana and Venezuela, led by President Nicolas Maduro, recently agreed not to use threats or force against each other.

Tension over the border region of Essequibo has raised worries about a military conflict, with Venezuela insisting Essequibo was part of its territory during the Spanish colonial period and arguing a 1966 Geneva agreement with Britain and then-British Guiana, now Guyana, nullified a border drawn in 1899 by international arbitrators.

The century-old dispute was reignited with the discovery of oil in Guyana and escalated when Venezuela voted in a referendum on December 3 to claim two-thirds of its smaller neighbour.

Mr Rutley said: “I am in Guyana, a fellow Commonwealth member, to offer the UK’s unequivocal backing to our Guyanese friends.

“The border issue has been settled for over 120 years. Sovereign borders must be respected wherever they are in the world.

“We welcome the recent agreement by Venezuela in St Vincent to refrain from the use of force and any further escalation.

“The UK will continue to work with partners in the region, as well as through international bodies, to ensure the territorial integrity of Guyana is upheld.”