Venezuela and Guyana declare renunciation of violence
The conflict between Venezuela and neighboring Guyana over the Essequibo region is heading towards a peaceful solution. The presidents of the two countries agree not to let the dispute escalate into war. Instead, diplomats are to prepare a new meeting in three months' time.
Venezuela and Guyana do not want to use force under any circumstances in the dispute over the oil-rich Essequibo region. This was agreed by the presidents of both countries at a crisis meeting in Kingstown on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent. Any controversy over the territory claimed by Venezuela in Guyana should be resolved in accordance with international law, including a 1966 agreement with the United Kingdom on the then colony of British Guiana, the joint statement said.
There is a commitment to good neighborliness in peaceful coexistence and the unity of Latin America and the Caribbean. Both countries agreed to set up a joint commission of their foreign ministries and technical advisors to discuss the matter further and to meet again in Brazil within three months.
Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro spoke of a "meeting with frankness, truth and respect" with his counterpart Irfaan Ali. "We have taken a great historic step to return to the path of legality, dialog and peace. This is our path," he wrote about the conversation in Kingstown, the capital of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, on X. Representatives of other Caribbean countries and Brazil as well as UN observers accompanied the talks. St. Vincent and the Grenadines currently holds the presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
International Court of Justice involved
The point of contention between the neighbors in northern South America is the Essequibo region, which makes up around two thirds of Guyana and borders on eastern Venezuela. For a long time, Guyana was one of the poorest countries on the continent. The discovery of huge oil reserves off the coast in 2015 brought economic growth to the country - it is now the largest in the world.
At the beginning of December, Maduro held a controversial referendum in Venezuela in which, according to official figures, 96% of participants voted in favor of the annexation of "Guayana Esequiba" as a Venezuelan federal state. Venezuela, which is itself rich in oil but still economically hard-pressed, has long laid claim to Essequibo as a result of the 1966 Geneva Agreement, in which a negotiated solution was sought. However, Guyana became independent a few months later.
The current borders were determined in an arbitration award by a tribunal in 1899, which was initiated by the USA and Great Britain. The United Nations International Court of Justice is dealing with the border dispute at Guyana's request. President Ali reiterated that the dispute belonged before the ICJ. "We have made it very clear that Guyana is not the aggressor," he said. "Guyana is not seeking war." Venezuela reiterated in the statement that it continues to reject ICJ jurisdiction.
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Despite Venezuela and Guyana's commitment to peace, the international Court of Justice still has a role to play in resolving the border dispute regarding the Essequibo region. Venezuela has previously rejected ICJ jurisdiction, but Guyana insists that it is not the aggressor and seeks a resolution through international law.
Source: www.ntv.de
