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Mar 02, 2024 News

President Irfaan Ali addresses the 8th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) on Friday in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. (Photo credit: Office of the President)
Kaieteur News – Guyana’s Head of State, Dr. Irfaan Ali has described the war in Ukraine and the bombing of Gaza as senseless acts of aggression, which he says must never befall the Region.
The President was at the time sharing remarks at the 8th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) on Friday in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
President Ali opened his presentation by underscoring the importance of the Region’s commitment to peace and stability. He said, “Latin America and the Caribbean must remain a Zone of Peace. The never-ending war in Ukraine and the unceasing bombing of Gaza are senseless acts of aggression and inhumanity which have consumed the efforts of the international community to find ways in which the citizens of Ukraine and Palestine can be relieved of their suffering. But so far – to no avail. We must never allow the peoples of this region to be subjected to such actions. The genocide in Palestine must come to an end and hostages held must be returned.”
He said it was in this vein that Guyana accepted the offer of Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves last December to facilitate a dialogue with President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro last December to address the tensions that had arisen between the two States.
“I assured everyone at that time, and now, that I am prepared to speak with President Maduro on any aspect that may contribute to enhancing the relationship between our two countries. The aspect relating to Venezuela’s claim to the Essequibo is before the International Court of Justice and the Joint Declaration of Argyle on Dialogue and Peace acknowledges that Guyana is committed to the process and procedures of the International Court of Justice for the resolution of the border controversy,” Ali said.
The President added that Guyana is prepared to accept the judgement of the Court on this matter and the country remains committed to the international judicial process and maintaining a “Zone of Peace”. He noted, “I assure all leaders here that Guyana’s priority is peace and you can have the confidence that our territory will never ever be used as a platform of war or for war.”
Meanwhile, the Head of State urged that CELAC can play a pivotal role in seeking to address issues that impact the sustainable development of the region, such as climate change, energy security, and food and nutrition security.
He signaled that climate change and extreme weather conditions are putting the world’s food production and global food security at risk, which was further driven by the pandemic. Ali said Guyana, as lead in Caricom on this initiative, continues to advocate for food and nutrition security in the region. To this end, he said that the Guyana government welcomes collaborative efforts and partnerships in the retooling effort to build the necessary capacity to meet the rising need for expertise in the advancement of this sector.
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