Venezuela and Guyana agreed this Thursday, in Brasilia, keep the dialogue on the Essequibo territorial dispute in peace without “provocations”nor “interference from third parties”, and agreed to open other fronts of cooperation, such as in the fight against organized crime.
(Also read: Maduro assures that agreements with the opposition 'are mortally wounded').
The Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Yván Gil, and his Guyanese counterpart, Hugh Todd, They met at the Itamaraty Palace, headquarters of the Brazilian Foreign Ministryin the first high-level meeting between both countries since the meeting between Presidents Nicolás Maduro and Irfaan Ali on December 14 in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The meeting, which lasted more than five hours, was mediated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, Mauro Vieiraand had as observers representatives of the United Nations Organization (UN), the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) and the Caribbean Community (Caricom).
The parties were “satisfied” with the outcome of the meeting. “It was a very frank discussion, very open and without limitations,” described Gil in a joint statement along with Todd, who called it “a good start.”
Both agreed to continue talking and meet again “in the short term”, although, according to the statements of both ministers, they did not make significant progress in resolving the conflict around Essequibo, a jungle region of 160,000 square kilometers administered by Guyana. rich in oil, gold and diamonds.
The Essequibo represents two thirds of Guyana's internationally recognized territory. and Caracas has claimed it as its own for more than a century.
The dispute seemed to be at a standstill, with a process stalled in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), until Maduro launched a campaign to annex the region to the Venezuelan map.
The Venezuelan president promoted a unilateral referendum and launched an action plan, which included the granting of licenses for oil exploitation and military deployments.
Guyana has always been inflexible in the face of Caracas' demands and trusts in the resolution of the dispute through the International Court of Justice (ICJ), a position that Todd defended again this Thursday.
(Keep reading: 33 Venezuelan soldiers expelled for 'conspiracies' against Nicolás Maduro).
However, both countries, according to Gil, agreed “to address everything related to international law, including the 1966 Agreement,” signed in Geneva between Venezuela and the United Kingdom, a former colonial power, and which determined to create a commission to resolve the historic controversy, which did not materialize.
Likewise, the Venezuelan foreign minister presented to the Guyanese delegation “the need to study a road map within the framework of international law” to delimit “maritime waters” in dispute between both countries and in which there are large oil reserves.
“We agree on the need to continue talking through diplomatic channels and reaffirming that neither party will resort to threats or invoke the use of force, including against third parties,” he stressed.
He thus made an apparent allusion to the last episode of tension around Essequibo that occurred at the end of December.when a British warship arrived on the Guyanese coast, in an apparent show of support for the Government of Irfaan Ali and that Venezuela responded with military exercises in the area.
“We are fully committed to looking for alternatives that allow us to reach a solution mutually acceptable in the discussion of Guayana Esequiba and promote relations of cooperation and integration,” he reinforced.
Venezuela also asked to analyze “everything that has to do with the mobility of indigenous communities” that live in both countries. “It is very important that they have free modality,” he highlighted.
On the other hand, the two ministers agreed on promoting a work agenda related to the fight against climate change and the fight against organized crime.
“We can find areas of common interest where we can collaborate” in an environment of “peace and prosperity because without peace there is no prosperity,” Todd said.
The Guyanese foreign minister advocated “respect for international law” as a fundamental factor in the dialogue with Venezuela and supported the project to “revitalize the integration” of South America that Brazil is promoting.
(We recommend: They arrest a third head of María Machado's campaign command, according to her party).
“We are proud to be on this continent. We have a good history together. Guyana believes in international law, in resolving all issues peacefully,” he said. Both foreign ministers hoped to be able to meet again “in the short term” to continue the agreed work agenda.
For his part, Vieira reaffirmed “the political will” of South America to “advance social and fair development.” of its peoples “in a peaceful environment” and “free of geopolitical tensions”. “I hope that (Venezuela and Guyana) continue building the necessary trust to think about a common horizon,” said the Brazilian minister.
EFE
#Venezuela #Guyana #agree #maintain #dialogue #Essequibo #provocations #peace