Facing criticism from a Caribbean economic bloc and neighboring Brazil, the Guyana administration recently decided to participate in bilateral discussions with Venezuela about a growing territorial issue.
The unexpected finding of massive amounts of oil in Guyana has revived the century-old rivalry between the two South American nations. Through a referendum held last week, the Nicolas Maduro government asserted its authority over the Essequibo area, which makes up two-thirds of Guyana and is located close to significant offshore oil resources.
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Irfaan Ali, the president of Guyana, announced that his country will convene on the island nation of St. Vincent in the Eastern Caribbean on Thursday to deliberate the demarcation of borders between the two countries, despite the massing troops on both sides of the shared border between Venezuela and Guyana.
However, easing tensions on both sides will probably make any agreement difficult to achieve.
The Guyanese Prime Minister stated in a local broadcast, “I have made it very clear that on the issue of the border controversy, Guyana’s position is non-negotiable.”
Guyana contends that the line, which was established by an international committee in 1899, is legitimate and enforceable, while Venezuela maintains that the decision was made by arbitrators from the United States, Britain, and Russia in a plot to steal property. Officials from Venezuela claim, among other things, that Americans and Europeans conspired to deprive their nation of its territory.
The Maduro administration stated that it has consented to negotiations to maintain its “aspiration to maintain Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace, without interference from external actors.”
Using a provision in the previous agreement, Venezuela has been arguing for direct bilateral discussions, while Guyana maintains that the International Court of Justice of the United Nations should hear the matter.
“In relation to our border, there is absolutely no compromise. The matter is before the ICJ and that is where it will be settled,” Ali noted. “We expect that good sense will prevail and the commitment to peace, stability, the threat of disruption will cease.”
The conference will be chaired by St. Vincent’s prime minister, Ralph Gonsalves, with observers from Brazil, which has put its soldiers on alert and shares borders with both Venezuela and Guyana.
Following a recent emergency gathering of Caribbean leaders, which they’ve requested the call and reaffirmed their support for Guyana, Guyana’s leader Ali announced he had also consented to speak with Maduro.
Rooted in national pride, the Venezuelan administration is capitalizing on the struggle to garner support before a presidential election from a populace weary of long-term instability that has reduced a large number of people to extreme poverty.
Just over half of eligible voters, or over 10.5 million people, reportedly cast votes, according to the Venezuelan government. According to the report, voters agreed to reject the 1899 boundaries “by all means,” make Essequibo a state, provide Venezuelan citizenship to the locals, and reject the jurisdiction of a U.N. court to settle the matter. Yet, the lengthy lineups that are customary for Venezuelan elections did not materialize, according to Associated Press reporters and observers at polling places.
Major oil resources were originally found off the coast of Essequibo in 2015 by a consortium led by ExxonMobil. This discovery piqued Venezuela’s interest, however, its willingness to pursue the territorial claim has wavered over time. Over $1 billion is generated annually by oil activities in Guyana, a poor nation of around 800,000 people whose economy grew by almost 60% in the first half of this year.
Venezuela’s oil sector has collapsed, whilst Guyana’s is still booming. Venezuela boasts the greatest known crude reserves in the world, but years of poor management and economic sanctions placed on the state-owned oil corporation after Maduro’s widely confirmed reelection in 2018 have severely damaged the country’s oil industry.
