The South American countries urged Venezuela and Guyana this Thursday to avoid “unilateral actions,” in the midst of the growing tension between both countries over the dominance of the Essequibo region, which Caracas intends to annex.
This was stated in a declaration released at the end of the semi-annual Mercosur summit (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay), held in Rio de Janeiro, which was also signed by Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
(Also read: LIVE | Venezuela-Guyana tension: 5 soldiers found dead due to helicopter crash).
The signatories expressed in the note “their deep concern with the increase in tensions” between Venezuela and Guyana.
Maduro presents the new map of Venezuela.
EFE/MIGUEL GUTIÉRREZ
The Government of Nicolás Maduro has undertaken a crusade to incorporate the jungle region of Essequibo, an area of 160,000 square kilometers controlled by Guyana, onto the Venezuelan map.rich in oil and minerals, and whose possession Caracas has claimed for more than a century.
In this context, the South American countries “warned about unilateral actions that should be avoided, as they add tension,” and “urged both parties to dialogue and search for a peaceful solution to the controversy in order to avoid unilateral initiatives that could aggravate it.”
(Keep reading: President Petro’s silence in the face of Maduro’s threats against opponents and Guyana).
After holding a referendum last Sunday, the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro has presented an action plan for the area, which includes the granting of licenses for oil exploitation. and military deployments in towns near the disputed area.
“Latin America must be a territory of peace and in the present case work with the tools of its long tradition of dialogue,” the declaration stated.which was proposed by Brazil, which until this Thursday held the rotating presidency of Mercosur.
![Meeting between Lula da Silva and Olaf Scholz](https://www.eltiempo.com/files/article_content_new/uploads/2023/01/31/63d90daa0dee4.jpeg)
Lula da Silva was emphatic regarding the need to process the EU-Mercosur agreement
Sources from the Brazilian Foreign Ministry indicated that all countries in the region are “exhausting all diplomatic channels” to “try to calm the situation” between the two countries.
Previously, in the plenary session of the presidential summit of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stressed that “they do not want wars” in South America, “nor do they need conflicts” in the region, but rather to promote “peace.”
(We recommend: Guyana reports discovery of missing helicopter on the border with Venezuela).
Regarding that controversy, The outgoing ruler of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, said that “it is not right,” emphasizing that Latin America stands out for being a region of paz, something that should not be allowed to “be lost,” according to his speech, released by the Presidency.
What does Colombia say?
Although Colombia signed the Mercosur declaration, until now neither President Gustavo Petro nor Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva had commented on the matter. This newspaper consulted with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and for now there are no signs that an official position will be taken.
However, Maduro’s decision goes open contravention of the theses of respect and rejection of any aggression by one nation on another expressed by the Colombian president in international settings.
![Venezuela](https://www.eltiempo.com/files/article_content_new/uploads/2023/12/04/656dc93a4947d.jpeg)
Chavismo sympathizers participate in a march during the closing of the campaign for the referendum on the defense of the territory of Essequibo.
Experts consider that for President Petro the situation is very complicated because the reason behind taking Essequibo is to appropriate its natural resources.
To the difficulties of having to justify alliances to explore oil, which contradicts its internal policy – since in Dubai he assured that Colombia has already stopped signing contracts with that objective – is added an act that transgresses sovereignty and peace, a fact that It also contradicts his discourse of reconciliation and respect for international law..
If Petro wanted to play an international role by being a guarantor of the democratic stabilization process in the neighboring country, this is a clear setback in his plan.
But also, The situation complicates the President’s objective of being a mediator to achieve the full recovery of democratic guarantees in Venezuela and any position on what is happening could affect said purpose..
“If Petro wanted to play an international role by being a guarantor of the democratic stabilization process in the neighboring country, this is a clear setback in his plan,” says political analyst Andrés Segura.
For this expert, Maduro’s intentions break the trust of all the countries involved in the accompaniment processes.
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