Guyana and Venezuela agreed Wednesday to "keep the communication channels open" in a fast-worsening feud over a disputed, oil-rich region as Brazil reinforced troops on its northern border with the

Tensions between neighbors Venezuela and Guyana have ratcheted up in recent weeks over a long-running territorial dispute.At issue is a 160,000-square-km (62,000-square-mile) border territory around the Esequibo river,

The foreign ministers of Venezuela and Guyana spoke by telephone Wednesday as tensions escalated over a disputed, oil-rich region and Brazil reinforced troops on its northern border with the two neighbors.

In what is likely to further inflame tensions in the hemisphere, Venezuelan ruler Nicolás Maduro announced Tuesday the creation of a new military zone that would be in charge of defending an oil -and mineral-rich territory of neighboring Guyana that he’s claiming belongs to his nation.