The President of Guyana, Dr. Irfaan Ali, and his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro, are set to meet in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in an effort to resolve their long-standing dispute over oil rich Essequibo region, which makes up two-thirds of Guyana.
St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, made the announcement at a news conference. He said the two leaders would meet in Kingstown on Thursday, and the decision was communicated in a letter that he wrote to Presidents Ali and Maduro on Saturday.
In his letter, Prime Minister Gonsalves said that both leaders had agreed to meet face-to-face under the auspices of the Community of States of Latin America and the Caribbean (CELAC), of which St Vincent and the Grenadines is the pro tempore chair, and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), whose current chairman is the Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit.
The letter stated that Ali and Maduro had requested the presence of the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and an invitation had been sent to him.
An “urgent need” for resolution
Gonsalves noted that there is an “urgent need to de-escalate the conflict and institute an appropriate dialogue, face-to-face between the Presidents of Guyana and Venezuela.”
The SVG Prime Minister said he does not know whether there will actually be a resolution after the talks, but said that it is better for the leaders to meet to resolve misunderstandings.
“Today, I can’t answer what is going to be the outcome. What I do know with certainty is that it is better for people in conflict to be talking,” Gonsalves said.
“You can resolve misunderstandings — agent provocateurs can create challenges also. And if you’re talking, and you’re respectful, and you’re mature and understanding and wise, and you take your populations along with you in that particular process, you are less likely to end up with threats of force or the actual use of force.”
Prime Minister Gonsalves was part of the group of CARICOM leaders who met on Friday to discuss the border dispute between the two countries. Following the meeting, the CARICOM leaders released a joint statement saying that they “firmly” support Guyana in its border dispute with Venezuela.
Their statement comes days after President Ali announced that he reached out to allies and regional partners in preparation to defend itself against Venezuela, if matters should escalate.
Read: Guyana preparing to defend itself from Venezuela over disputed region
