Maduro wants to meet Pres. Ali face-to-face

Mar 12, 2025 News

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Kaieteur News- Days after his warships illegally entered Guyana’s waters, threatening ExxonMobil’s operations offshore, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro now wants President Irfaan Ali to meet him face-to-face.

Maduro called for a face-to-face meeting with the Guyanese president during a recent live broadcast aired on Venezuelan national television on March 6, 2025.

Venezuela under the leadership of Maduro is indirectly threatening an invasion of Guyana’s Essequibo despite both countries  agreeing that they will not “directly or indirectly threaten or use force against one another under any circumstance, including those consequential to any existing controversies (the Guyana Essequibo) between the two States on December 14, 2023 via the Argyle Declaration signed in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Venezuelan Coast Guards illegally entered Guyana’s Stabroek Block and issued a warning to ExxonMobil FPSOS and drill rigs on March 1, 2025.

The Maduro Regime immediately came under fire from the international community, with the United States of America, France, the United Kingdom, CARICOM, the OAS, and the Commonwealth of Nations showing strong for Guyana.

In response, Maduro, on his live show called “Maduro Live De Repente” attacked the Guyanese president and then tried to bully him into a face- to- face meeting.

Maduro was at the time responding to messages reportedly sent to him on his show pointing specifically  to the recent escalation of tensions between the two countries over the Essequibo Region.

One of the purported messages sent was read out loud by Maduro.

“From Yaritagua (a rural Venezuelan town) … What Nerve with the abuse of Guyana wanting to own our Guyana Essequibo? Thank-you God that we will be having our regional elections, including a governor who will defend our Essequibo (translated from Spanish).”

Maduro, in response announced the date of the elections before weighing in on the topic.

He accused Guyana of provoking Venezuela and called President Ali the “Zelenskyy” of the Caribbean.

“Yo he pedido que se convoque de inmediato desde hace cinco dias atras, una reunion del acuerdo Argyle para cara a cara demostrale a el (Ali) como esta violando los leyes internacionales.”

The translation says: “I have been asking for a meeting to be convened immediately under the Argyle Agreement for five days now, to demonstrate to him (President Ali) how he is violating international laws,” Maduro said.

The Venezuelan leader then made claims to the Essequibo region.

“Sentarse a hablar cara a cara conmigo o es que tienes miedo?”

He said, “Sit down and speak to me face-to-face or are you afraid?” the Venezuelan President said in his bid to bully the Guyanese President.

Guyana and Venezuela are presently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the territorial controversy. The ICJ had ordered Venezuela to refrain from taking action that would alter Guyana’s control over the Essequibo until it rules on the case.

Guyana has since filed in the registry of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) a request for provisional measures in the case concerning the Arbitral Award of October 3, 1899 between Guyana and Venezuela.

The request comes as a result of Venezuela’s announcement of its plans to hold elections in Guyana’s Essequibo region, which is an integral part of the country’s national territory.

Guyana maintains that Venezuela’s intent to annex an area is in violation of the Court’s Order of December 1, 2023 and the fundamental norms of international law.

Guyana has informed the Court that the planned Venezuelan elections are scheduled to take place on May 25, 2025 and would inevitably be preceded by preparatory acts, including acts within Guyana’s Essequibo region, affecting the Guyanese population and Guyana’s sovereignty over its territory.

As a result, in order to preserve its rights, Guyana is requesting that the Court orders Venezuela to refrain from any acts within or affecting its sovereign territory, including the Essequibo region.

Further, Guyana requested the Court to convene hearings on its request as soon as possible, to enable such provisional measures as might be indicated by the Court to be issued before serious and irremediable prejudice to Guyana’s rights occurs.

This is the second time Guyana has sought provisional measures from the Court.

Guyana’s first request resulted in the Court’s Order of December 1, 2023, in which it ordered: “Unanimously, pending a final decision in the case, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela shall refrain from taking any action which would modify the situation that currently prevails in the territory in dispute, whereby the Co-operative Republic of Guyana administers and exercises control over that area.”

The ICJ has acknowledged that it has received Guyana’s request for provisional measures in the Guyana/Venezuela border controversy case.

(Maduro wants to meet Pres. Ali face-to-face)

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• Argyle Declaration, ExxonMobil’s operations offshore, Guyana’s Essequibo., Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro., warships

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