The Venezuelan regime announced on Saturday that it had agreed to sit down with its Guyanese counterpart to address the territorial dispute over the Essequibo after a proposal emerged in telephone conversations between regional leaders. Guyana accepted the meeting but made it clear that its border was not up for discussion, the AP reported.
According to a statement from the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry Nicolás Maduro held talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He also spoke with the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and President pro tempore of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Ralph Gonsalvez; and with the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres.
In these conversations Venezuela “received a proposal to hold a high-level meeting with the Cooperative Republic of Guyana”which he accepted with “joy” to “preserve Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace, without interference from external actors,” the statement said.
The meeting will take place on December 14 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, according to a letter to the presidents of both countries published on Saturday and signed by Gonsalves.
On Saturday evening, the President of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, made the comments in a message distributed on the social network “Guyana’s land border is not up for discussion.”
Ali pointed this out The matter is before the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ), whose resolution “is fully respected by Guyana.” “The case before the International Court of Justice will not be a subject for bilateral discussions,” which has been made explicitly clear, he reiterated.
The Maduro government also confirmed early on its position on “Venezuela’s indisputable sovereign rights over Guyana Esequiba.”
The meeting does not stop the process before the United Nations Inter-American Court (ICJ). before Guyana in 2018 demanded recognition of an 1899 arbitration award that established English rule over the disputed territory when it was still a British colony.
Venezuela ignores the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice and asserts that the conflict must be resolved within the framework of the 1966 Geneva Convention. when London recognized his claim, leading to a possible diplomatic and satisfactory settlement for the parties.
Hours before the statement was released, the Colombian president said Gustavo Petro said on the social network X that “Venezuela and Guyana must de-escalate the conflict” and suggested regional mediation. “We know how to mediate conflicts and maintain peace between our peoples,” wrote the Colombian president, calling on South American countries to “build a mediation team.” “The greatest misfortune of South America is that a war has broken out between its peoples.” , Petro added.
Venezuela and Guyana claim sovereignty over the Essequibo. a border area of approximately 159,500 square kilometers northeast of South America. Venezuelans have taken Essequibo as their own since 1897, when it was under their jurisdiction
Tensions between the two countries, which had already been rising, escalated following a referendum sponsored by the Venezuelan government on their sovereignty in the area Maduro initiated his exploration, which Guyana viewed as a “threat.”