Caracas, July 7, (RHC), – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday said he was calling in the country's ambassador in neighboring Guyana for consultations amid an escalating row over oil exploration in a disputed offshore territory.

The OPEC nation in June demanded that Guyana halt exploration being carried out by Exxon Mobil Corp off the coast of the region known as the Essequibo, weeks after Exxon said it had found oil.

Maduro made the announcement during a speech to parliament dedicated to the issue. He also ordered the foreign ministry to conduct a full review of bilateral relations.

The Essequibo, a sparsely populated region of thick jungle, encompasses an area equivalent to around two-thirds of Guyanese territory.

Guyana says Caracas agreed to relinquish the Essequibo following a ruling by an international tribunal in 1899. Venezuela says the 1899 ruling was unfair and insists the territory is still in dispute.