St Vincent Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves on Thursday emphasised the significant and urgent nature of the Guyana-Venezuela boundary issue, stressing the necessity for its resolution.
Gonsalves expressed that the situation has reached a point where it has the potential to be really perilous.
“Guyana has made it plain that they are having discussions with several countries, including the United States of America, to help with the defence of their country and their territory as they see it. So you can see the potential danger in all of this”.
Gonsalves said he is not worried regarding any potential aggressive moves from Guyana or Venezuela; rather, his apprehension lies with other factions.
“I always worry, not that Guyana and Venezuela may do something to actually initiate force, but there could be other provocateurs. Or some entity may do something that is not authorised, and matters get out of hand. And with the politics involved, the anti-imperialism, and Venezuela’s problems they have already had with the United States, you would understand”.
Gonsalves asserted that the military capabilities of Guyana are much inferior to those of Venezuela. He further emphasised that if Guyana were to seek assistance from other sources, and assuming they were successful in obtaining such support, it would lead to a proliferation of issues for the Caribbean region, particularly the Southern Islands.
“This thing could be a situation where a lot of people would lose their lives. There are a lot of setbacks for development. Refugees out of countries that are in conflict will be moving. They’re going to come up to the islands. So we need to encourage conversations on whatever subjects they agree upon to talk about”.
According to Gonsalves, there are only two sets of powers that will benefit from any open conflict between Guyana and Venezuela.
“Only two sets of forces can be sure to benefit, imperialism and the big oil companies. They will switch sides from one to the next as the circumstances of their interests dictate. That has been history, so I’m not going to express hope over experience. And I’m not going to take a theological position on this; I’m taking a calm, rational, and mature perspective”.
Caricom is scheduled to convene an urgent session tomorrow to deliberate on the recent developments concerning the territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana over the Essequibo region.
The government of Guyana has reiterated its demand for adherence to the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the preservation of peace, and the complete respect for Guyana’s territorial integrity. The opposition has also urged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to pursue a diplomatic resolution to the current dispute with Guyana.
Guyana’s Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo sought to reassure Guyanese on Thursday that the government is doing everything possible at the diplomatic and defence levels to preserve investments made in the Essequibo region, whether on land or in the adjacent oil-rich ocean zone.
His remarks come just days after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declared plans to establish a transitional government in Guyana’s Essequibo region, while forcing mining and oil companies to depart within three months.
“No one is leaving and they should ignore him,” Jagdeo told a news conference from the Office of the President in Georgetown.
The VP posited that should Guyana pause any aspect of its development plan over these threats from the Venezuelan Government, it would be a success for Maduro.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Thursday called on the South American trade bloc – Mercosur – to speak out on the rising tensions in the Guyana/Venezuela border controversy.
In a tweet on X, Lula said “an important issue that we have to debate is the Essequibo issue. Mercosur cannot stay away from the issue.”
The foreign ministers of the four Mercosur trading bloc nations met in Rio de Janeiro for its 63rd group meeting this week. The South American alliance is set to announce several milestones before Brazil hands over the bloc’s rotating presidency to Paraguay and Lula wants the Guyana/Venezuela issue to also be addressed.
Venezuela is a full member but has been suspended since December 2016. Mercosur counts Guyana and six other states as associate members.
