The two leaders met in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Thursday for discussions.
- author, Writing
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The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and his Co-President of Guyana, Irfan Ali, have pledged to continue their dialogue on the ongoing conflict in their countries in the Essequibo region so that it can be resolved peacefully.
The two leaders met in St. Vincent and the Grenadines today, Thursday.
Venezuelans debated their country’s sovereignty over 160,000 km² of land west of the resource-rich Esciquibo River in a vote in early December after the dispute escalated in recent days.
According to a joint statement released after the meeting, “Guyana and Venezuela agreed not to threaten or use force against each other under any circumstances, directly or indirectly, including disputes between the two countries.”
Other highlights of the deal:
- Any dispute between the two states will be settled according to law International lawIncluding the Geneva Convention of February 17, 1966.
- A commitment to good neighborliness, peaceful coexistence, and the quest for unity in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- They noted Guyana’s commitment to the process and procedures of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to resolve the border dispute. They took note of Venezuela’s assertion of non-recognition and non-recognition of the ICJ and its jurisdiction over the border issue.
- Both States shall refrain, in word or deed, from aggravating any conflict or difference of opinion arising out of any dispute between them.
- Immediately establish a joint committee comprising foreign ministers and technical experts of the two states to deal with mutually agreed issues.
- Both states agreed See you again in BrazilIn the next three months, or at another agreed time, to consider any matter having implications for the disputed territory, including the above-mentioned update of the Joint Commission.
The Prime Ministers of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica, as well as the ambassadors of the UN and Brazil, attended the meeting as speakers.
“Continue the conversation”
image source, Reuters
The Venezuelan government organized a campaign in favor of a “yes” vote ahead of the referendum held in early December.
In a statement posted on the social network X after the meeting, the Venezuelan government said the two leaders expressed their views. “Willingness to continue the conversation” and “to settle the dispute concerning the territory of Essequibo.”
For his part, Guyana’s President Irfan Ali told a press conference that Maduro outlined Guyana’s “clear position. We are a peace loving country and people“.
“We have no ambition other than to seek peaceful coexistence with Venezuela and all countries in the region,” the president said.
“We make it clear that Guyana is not an aggressor and that Guyana does not seek war,” he added, “but Guyana reserves the right to work with all our partners to ensure the security of our country.”
He further assured that “his country will not back down in ensuring that the matter is decided by the ICJ and that the decision of the matter at the ICJ is respected by all.”
image source, Good pictures
Maduro displays a small copy of Venezuela’s constitution after declaring a new state in Essequibo.
What is Essequibo and what is its significance?
image source, Good pictures
Aerial view over the Essequibo River.
Also known as Guyana Essequiba, it covers an area of 159,500 square kilometers west of the Essequibo River.
Es 1.5 times the size of the island of Cuba and 3 times the size of Costa Rica.
Essequibo encompasses six of the ten regions that make up the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. 125,000 of the country’s 800,000 people.
It is located at the heart of the Guiana Shield, a geological region in northeastern South America that is one of the oldest formations on Earth and has abundant natural and mineral resources.
Experts compare it to its neighbor Arco Minero del Orinoco, an exploitation area of more than 111,800 square kilometers in Venezuela with large reserves of minerals such as gold, copper, diamonds, iron, bauxite or aluminum.
Essequibo is home to the Omai gold mine, the largest in the Guyana Shield and one of Guyana’s largest sources of income, producing 3.7 million ounces of the precious metal between 1993 and 2005.
And the territorial waters of the disputed region are rich in oil.
From 2015 to date, multinational ExxonMobil and its partners have made 46 discoveries. Oil inventories have risen About 11 billion barrels from Guyana, approximately 0.6% of the world total.
Essequibo has important water resources, thanks to its extensive network of rivers.
Why did the conflict worsen?
The discovery of large hydrocarbon deposits in 2015 largely explains the rise in current tensions, although it is not the only factor.
To answer that question, we must review the history of Essequibo.
When Spain established the Captaincy General of Venezuela, Essequibo was part of the regional subsidiary, and after independence in 1811, Venezuela assumed its sovereignty.
The United Kingdom signed an agreement with the Netherlands to seize some 51,700 square kilometers east of Venezuela, without demarcating the western border of what would become British Guiana.
London commissioned Robert Schaumburg in 1840, who claimed an additional 80,000 square kilometers and expanded four decades later.
In 1895, the United States recommended that the dispute be settled in international arbitration, which was published four years later. Paris Jury AwardIt left the territory under British rule.
Four decades later, after documents came to light questioning the impartiality of the ruling, Venezuela reinstated its claim, deeming it invalid.
In 1966, the United Kingdom granted independence to Guyana and the parties committed to finding solutions, but never to the UN. There was no verdict and the case was documented during the government of Hugo Chávez due to the rapprochement between the late Venezuelan president and Georgetown.
however, The situation changed in 2015 when dozens of oil deposits began to be discovered. In the coastal areas of the disputed territory, it provided Guyana with new and unexpected wealth.
The innovations have made the country of 800,000 people one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. GDP growth is forecast at 57.8% in 2022 and 25% for this year.
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