The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and his counterpart of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, committed to continuing their dialogues on the conflict that their countries have in the Essequibo region, so that it can be resolved peacefully.
The two leaders met this Thursday in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
They discussed the dispute that intensified in recent days and after Venezuelans supported, in a referendum at the beginning of December, their country’s sovereignty over that 160,000 km² territory west of the Essequibo River, rich in natural resources.
According to a joint statement published after the meeting, the leaders agreed that “Guyana and Venezuela, directly or indirectly, will not threaten or use force against each other under any circumstances, including those arising from any controversy between both States.”
Other highlights of the agreement are:
- Any dispute between the two States will be resolved in accordance with the international rightincluding the Geneva Agreement of February 17, 1966.
- The commitment to the search for good neighborliness, peaceful coexistence and the unity of Latin America and the Caribbean.
- They took note of Guyana’s assertion that it is committed to the process and procedures of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the resolution of the border dispute. They took note of Venezuela’s assertion of its lack of consent and lack of recognition of the ICJ and its jurisdiction in the border dispute.
- Both States will refrain, whether in word or deed, from escalating any conflict or disagreement arising from any controversy between them.
- Immediately establish a joint commission of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and technicians of the two States to deal with mutually agreed issues.
- Both States agreed meet again in Brazilin the next three months, or at another agreed time, to consider any matter with implications for the disputed territory, including the aforementioned update of the joint commission.
The prime ministers of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica, as well as envoys from the UN and Brazil, were present at the meeting as interlocutors.
“Continue the dialogue”
In a statement published on the social network X after the meeting, the Venezuelan government said that the leaders of the two countries had expressed their “willingness to continue the dialogue” and to “resolve the controversy in relation to the territory of Essequibo.”
For his part, Guyana’s president, Irfaan Ali, said in a press conference that he had outlined in the meeting with Maduro Guyana’s “clear position that We are a country and a people respectful of peace“.
“We have no other ambition than to seek peaceful coexistence with Venezuela and all the countries in this region,” said the president.
“We make it very clear that Guyana is not the aggressor, Guyana is not seeking war,” he added, “but Guyana reserves the right to work with all our partners to ensure the defense of our country.”
He also assured that his country “will not go backwards at all in ensuring that this matter is decided by the ICJ and that the outcome of this matter at the ICJ is respected by all.”
What is Essequibo and what is its importance?
Also known as Guyana Essequiba, it is a territory of 159,500 square kilometers west of the Essequibo River.
Is 1.5 times larger than the island of Cuba and 3 times larger than Costa Rica.
The Essequibo concentrates six of the ten regions that make up the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and is home to about 125,000 of the country’s 800,000 inhabitants.
It is located in the heart of the Guiana Shield, a geographic region in the northeast of South America that, in addition to being one of the oldest formations on Earth, has abundant natural and mineral resources.
Experts compare it with its neighbor Arco Minero del Orinoco, an exploitation area of more than 111,800 square kilometers in Venezuela with large reserves of minerals such as gold, copper, diamond, iron, bauxite or aluminum.
The Essequibo is home to the Omai gold mine, one of the largest in the Guyana Shield and one of Guyana’s largest sources of income, which between 1993 and 2005 produced more than 3.7 million ounces of the precious metal.
And in the territorial waters of the disputed region there is immense oil wealth.
From 2015 to date, the multinational ExxonMobil and its partners have made 46 discoveries that oil reserves have skyrocketed from Guyana to about 11,000 million barrels, approximately 0.6% of the world total.
Essequibo also has important water resources thanks to its extensive network of rivers.
Why has the conflict worsened?
To answer that question, we must review the history of Essequibo.
When Spain founded the Captaincy General of Venezuela, Essequibo was part of the territorial sub-entity and, after obtaining its independence in 1811, Venezuela assumed its sovereignty.
For its part, the United Kingdom signed a pact with the Netherlands to acquire around 51,700 square kilometers east of Venezuela, without defining the western border of what would become British Guiana.
London appointed explorer Robert Schomburgk in 1840, who drew a line that claimed an additional 80,000 square kilometers and which was expanded four decades later.
In 1895 the United States recommended that the dispute be resolved in international arbitration and four years later it was issued the Paris Arbitration Awardwhich left the territory under British rule.
After documents that questioned the impartiality of the ruling came to light four decades later, Venezuela considered it void and reactivated its claim.
In 1966, the United Kingdom granted independence to Guyana and the parties committed to finding solutions, but there was never a UN ruling and the case was archived during the government of Hugo Chávez due to the good relations between the late Venezuelan president and Georgetown.
However, The situation changed when dozens of oil deposits began to be discovered in 2015. in coastal areas of the disputed area, which provided Guyana with a new and unexpected source of wealth.
The findings have turned the country of 800,000 inhabitants into one of the fastest expanding economies in the world, with GDP growth of 57.8% in 2022 and 25% forecast for this year.
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