The presidents of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, and Guyana, Irfaan Ali, will meet on Thursday, in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, about the dispute over the territory of Essequibo, rich in oil and claimed by Caracas, announced yesterday, Sunday , the government of the host archipelago
The Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is trying to mediate the conflict, will be present “at the request” of both parties.
Nicolas Maduro and Irfaan Ali accepted “this meeting held under the auspices of CELAC”, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, of which the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, holds the rotating presidency, “and the CARICOM”, the Caribbean Community, according to a statement from the head of government of the archipelago that will host the meeting.
“Let us all resolve to make this historic meeting a success”, concluded Ralph Gonsalves.
Caracas had already announced a “high-level” meeting, following talks yesterday between Presidents Nicolas Maduro and Lula da Silva.
The Head of State of Brazil had advised, in a telephone conversation, his Venezuelan counterpart not to take “unilateral measures” that would worsen the border conflict between Venezuela and neighboring Guyana.
The President of Brazil, whose Government sent military reinforcements to its northern border, also reiterated the “growing concern” of other South American countries, which in a joint statement, on Thursday night, had invited “both parties to dialogue and seek a peaceful solution”.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro followed suit, saying on the X network (formerly Twitter) that “the greatest misfortune that could happen to South America would be a war.”
The discovery of vast oil deposits by the US company ExxonMobil in 2015 and Guyana’s bids for exploration in the area have revived the long-standing dispute over Essequibo, a 160,000 square kilometer territory administered by Guyana, but which Venezuela claims, arguing that the true border is the one that dates back to the Spanish Empire in 1777.
The two countries have been exchanging accusations for several days and the UN Security Council met behind closed doors on Friday night, but there was no statement or communication at the end of the meeting.