CARACAS.- Venezuela y Guyana agreed to meet next Thursday, December 14, in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, to address the territorial dispute of the Essequiboterritory controlled by Guyana but that Venezuela claims as its own.
The Prime Minister of Guyana, Ralph Gonsalves, explained at a press conference that the meeting will be held under the auspices of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) and the Caribbean Community (Caricom) “to discuss issues relevant to the dispute. border between Guyana and Venezuela,” according to the Guyanese Government in a statement.
Also invited to the meeting is the President of Brazil, Luiz Ignacio Lula Da Silva, who has played a key role as a mediator to open this avenue of dialogue.
Gonsalves also recalled that Celac and Caricom defend the “urgent need to de-escalate the conflict and open an adequate dialogue, face to face, between the presidents of Guyana and Venezuela.”
“Experience teaches humanity that the mature, wise and preferable thing is for the leaders of nations in conflict to speak to each other calmly, respectfully and patiently to avoid escalation towards threats of the use of force,” he added.
The Guyanese Prime Minister acknowledged that “it is never easy” to address these “old disputes,” “but a strenuous life in pursuit of peace is preferable to perpetual conflict or violence.”
Gonsalves recalled in the letter, addressed to both Nicolás Maduro and President Irfaan Ali, that Guyana requested a resolution from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and that “the Government of Venezuela has rejected this route as a form of solution” and also stressed that the Guyanese Parliament unanimously asked Maduro “not to discuss the border dispute with the Government of Venezuela.”
The text also included the result of the December 3 referendum in which the Venezuelan people “overwhelmingly” supported not accepting the jurisdiction of the ICJ and considering Essequibo as Venezuelan territory.
“Each of you must draw on the proverbial wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job and the vision of all the ancient prophets to engender a good neighborliness in peace, justice, security and prosperity for all,” he concluded.
Previously, the Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yván Gil, reported the agreement to hold the meeting to seek a solution to the Essequibo territorial dispute “without interference from external actors.”
“Venezuela expresses its satisfaction and accepts said call with approval and commitment,” the text noted. Maduro explained Venezuela’s position in his conversations with the mediators and ratified “the historical position on the unquestionable sovereign rights of Venezuela over Guayana Esequiba.”
Maduro himself published on the social network “Once again we will defeat the lies, provocations and threats against our people,” he said.
The territorial conflict dates back to the 19th century, when an 1899 ruling, defended from Georgetown, stipulated that Venezuela he gave up Essequibo, although he later retracted it. For its part, Caracas relies on the 1966 Geneva Agreement signed between the United Kingdom (former colonial power of Guyana) and Venezuela, in which they recognized Essequibo as a disputed territory.
Source: With information from Europa Press
