In a recent declaration, the presidents of Venezuela and Guyana resolved to form a joint commission to resolve their territorial dispute and promised not to use force against one another over a lucrative oil-rich tract of Guyanese land.
After a full day of talks on the Caribbean Island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the two nations’ positions on the Essequibo region remained sharply divergent. A joint statement was released at the end of the meeting, endorsing Guyana’s belief that the International Court of Justice should settle the dispute and Venezuela’s “lack of consent and lack of recognition of the International Court of Justice and its jurisdiction in the border controversy.”
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The land, which makes up around two-thirds of the national territory of the Guyanese, has become more contentious in recent days due to a referendum in Venezuela where voters approved the establishment of a Venezuelan state inside the disputed area. The action has been referred to by Guyana as an “existential” threat and a step toward annexation.
Both nations concurred in the joint proclamation to “not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances” and “refrain, whether by words or deeds, from escalating any conflict or disagreement arising from any controversy between them.”
The foreign ministers and technical personnel of each nation will be part of the joint panel, “to address matters as mutually agreed” and indicated in the statement that they will provide an update in three months. Also, both nations decided to get together once more in Brazil in the next months, “to consider any matter with implications for the territory in dispute.”
A video of the encounter at the Argyle International Airport, which is close to Kingston, the island’s capital, shows Nicolas Maduro, the president of Venezuela, shaking hands with Irfaan Ali, the president of Guyanese, and officials from regional Caribbean blocs.
Ali informed reporters at a press conference in between sessions that “there is absolutely no retreat by Guyana in ensuring that this matter is determined by the ICJ and that the outcome of this matter at the ICJ be respected by all.”
“We made it very clear that Guyana is not the aggressor, Guyana is not seeking war,” he stated, “but Guyana reserves the right to work with all our partners to ensure the defense of our country.”
Venezuela has long claimed the Essequibo and denies the borders established by an international tribunal’s 1899 decision.
According to a statement released by the Venezuelan government on X, the presidents of the two nations had conveyed their “willingness to continue with the dialogue” and “resolve the controversy in relation to the Essequibo territory.”
Later, Maduro posted a copy of the proclamation on X and wrote, “Excellent day of dialogue!”
Envoys from the UN and Brazil were present in the room for the sessions, serving as intermediaries, along with the prime ministers of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica.
In addition, the leaders of Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines now preside over the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), two significant regional blocs.
