- Leaders of Guyana, Venezuela To Meet Amid Border Dispute
- SVG prepares for Guyana-Venezuela talks
- Essequibo talks in St Vincent
A delegation consisting of regional leaders, a special envoy appointed by President Lula, and two diplomats from the UN Secretary General Office will meet Thursday 14 on the island of St Vincent (SVG) in the southern Caribbean. The purpose of the gathering is to facilitate discussions between the President of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, and Nichols Maduro, the President of Venezuela.
The two South American nations are engaged in an intense dispute over the contested Essequibo area, which constitutes two-thirds of Guyana.
Ralph Gonsalves, the Prime Minister of St Vincent, stated on Wednesday that his country will assume the role of a facilitator rather than a mediator. Both presidents, Ali and Maduro, are scheduled to arrive in St Vincent on Thursday morning.
The meeting will be attended by Prime Minister Skerrit, who is also the Chairman of CARICOM, as well as Prime Ministers Mitchell of Grenada, Philip of St Lucia, Mottley of Barbados, Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago and the Bahamian leader.
“This evening, I expect the personal envoy of President Lula of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Celso Amorim, a very experienced diplomat who had been doing work between President Maduro and President Ali, to arrive. Two diplomats from the United Nations Secretary General’s office, Earl Courtney Rattray and an assistant secretary general from the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, will arrive on the island.”.
Gonsalves stated that a group of Venezuelans, including security personnel and media representatives, have already arrived. Additionally, an initial group of personnel will be arriving from Guyana today.
Gonsalves said he has put together a committee under the chairmanship of the cabinet secretary, covering all the officials, due to the diplomatic workload that has to be done. With both the presidents of Guyana and Venezuela, CARICOM leaders, the Secretary General’s office members of the CELAC, and with governments outside of the region, including the British government, through the former Prime Minister David Cameron.
President Ali of Guyana has unequivocally said that the question of Guyana’s border is not open to debate and is non-negotiable due to its pending status before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The December 3 referendum in Venezuela granted the state the power to assume complete control over the Essequibo area.
Gonsalves, says he’s hopeful Thursday’s meeting between the Presidents of Guyana and Venezuela will lead to a better place without conflict.
Tomorrow’s planned meeting between President Irfaan Ali and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolás Maduro in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), is scheduled to take place at the Argyle International Airport for security and diplomatic reasons, sources say.
