Venezuela and Guyana to Continue Talks on the Essequibo

A meeting between the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and his Guyanese counterpart, Irfaan Ali, concluded this Thursday at 16:00 local time in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Both presidents expressed their willingness to continue the dialogue to solve the conflict over the Essequibo territory.

RELATED:
Presidents Nicolas Maduro and Irfaan Ali Start Dialogue

After concluding the high-level meeting, both leaders stood up and shook hands, sealing the willingness of both nations to continue the dialogue to resolve the dispute peacefully.

The Venezuelan Minister of Communication, Freddy Ñáñez, said through the social network X that the occasion demonstrated that the only way to resolve the territorial dispute is through dialogue, with understanding and respect, free of interventionist interventions, prioritizing the welfare of the region. 

The meeting took place in Kingstown, the capital of the Caribbean island promoted by the president of Brazil, Lula da Silva, the Community of Caribbean States (Caricom) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

The tweet reads, "We arrive in St. Vincent and the Grenadines with the mandate of the people of Venezuela to move forward through dialogue and the word of Peace, defending the rights of the people and of our Homeland. We are looking for effective, satisfactory and practical solutions as mandated by the Geneva Agreement. I am pleased that CELAC and CARICOM have achieved this step, we will make the most of it for Peace!"

The meeting was attended by the Prime Ministers of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, and Trinidad and Tobago, Keith Rowley.

For its part, the Venezuelan delegation is made up of Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, Foreign Minister Yván Gil, Minister of Communication and Information, Freddy Ñáñez, among other officials.

Previously, Maduro and Alí held separate meetings with representatives of Caricom and Celac, who have acted as mediators, with the aim of guaranteeing peace in the region.

The Venezuelan president has repeatedly advocated dialogue for the resolution of the historic dispute. Maduro maintains that the only way to resolve the dispute is based on the Geneva Agreement.

Last December 3, the Venezuelan people voted overwhelmingly in support of a consultative referendum in defense of the Essequibo territory, which Caracas claims as part of its historical territorial heritage.