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We have a responsibility to explore every option to counter Venezuela’s threats – Pres. Ali
Borderline Facts Pt. 12
By Kiana Wilburg
Kaieteur News – Ahead of a historic in-person meeting with his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali has maintained that there will be no deviation from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) adjudicating the case of the longstanding controversy.
Be that as it may, President Ali believes there is merit in having talks with Venezuela which has escalated tensions with this country following a December 3 referendum to annex Essequibo. During an interview with Bloomberg on Monday, President Ali said Guyana’s position is that this is a region of peace and stability, adding “we will do everything in our power to ensure it remains that way.”
President Ali reminded that Venezuela’s latest acts of aggression, which include an ultimatum for companies to exit the region in three months, and the passing of a new law to govern the affairs of the mineral-rich region, are contrary to the ICJ’s orders. To recap, the World Court categorically stated on December 1 that Venezuela should refrain from all actions that could alter Guyana’s control over the Essequibo. In light of its defiance, President Ali said he believes there can be a positive outcome from the talks which are set for Thursday in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
“As neighbours, we have to coexist. We have to talk on issues of development. We have issues of climate change; we have issues on which we can have joint collaboration, in which we can explore how we develop our countries for the full prosperity of our countries and basically deescalate the situation.”
Map of Guyana showing the portion being claimed by Venezuela
Reiterating that the border controversy is not up for negotiation, President Ali said there are other areas that can be discussed as well as modalities on future interactions and even the establishment of technical and working groups to look at areas of development.
President Ali also noted that he accepted the invitation for talks since it was requested by Prime Minister of St. Vincent and Grenadines, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves. He also noted that the meeting will also bring together officials from CARICOM, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) as well as Brazil’s President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces said, “Guyana prides itself on being a good global citizen and we have tremendous respect for international partners and regional partners. He said: “our regional partners, who are all very strong in support of Guyana… reached out to us and asked us to have this conversation. I think it would have been irresponsible to our partners if we did not also have this conversation with Maduro…”
On the foregoing premise, the President said he is of the view that Guyana has a responsibility to ensure that while it establishes its fundamental position, it must explore every avenue to have Venezuela de-escalate its level of aggression and work towards a peaceful coexistence.
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