According to journalists, the leaders of the two countries agreed to peacefully resolve the territorial dispute over the oil-rich Essequibo region.
The leaders of Venezuela and Guyana, Nicolas Maduro and Irfaan Ali, have agreed to establish a joint commission to peacefully resolve the territorial dispute over Essequibo, an oil-rich region located on the border between the two countries. This was reported on December 15 by the American TV channel CNN.
The leaders met on December 14 in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. In the joint declaration, they pledged “not to threaten or use force against each other under any circumstances” and “to refrain, through words and actions, from escalating any conflict or disagreement arising from the disagreement.”
At the same time, the countries’ positions on the issue of Essequibo’s affiliation remain contradictory, journalists note. Venezuela believes that the region is an integral part of it, while Guyana claims that it is its sovereign territory.
The joint commission will include the foreign ministers of Venezuela and Guyana and technical staff of the countries. The leaders agreed to meet again in Brazil in the coming months.
The territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana
The Venezuelan government announced the creation of a Commission for the Defense of Essequibo, a territory disputed with neighboring Guyana, and ordered the start of discussions on the creation of a new Guyana-Essequibo region. Nicolas Maduro reaffirmed his claim to these lands, which have been disputed since the 19th century, especially after the discovery of offshore oil and gas reserves in the former British colony.
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The decision to create a joint commission was made after Venezuela held a referendum on the annexation of Essequibo, despite the decision of the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to refrain from any actions to change the situation in the territorial dispute.
After the referendum, in which more than 95% of Venezuelans voted in favor of the government’s claim to Essequibo, Guyana put its armed forces on high alert and asked for help from the United States and the United Nations. Maduro responded by announcing the annexation of Essequibo and mobilizing the army.
The United States reported plans to conduct patrols with the military in Georgetown, Guyana.
