Venezuela and Guyana FM Agree to Continue Dialogue About Essequibo

The foreign ministers of Venezuela and Guyana, Yván Gil and Hugh Todd, agreed this Thursday to continue with a new dialogue agenda on the Essequibo controversy, and "expressed their understanding of the commitment assumed in the "Argyle Declaration for Dialogue and Peace".

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Within the framework of the Joint Commission of Foreign Ministers and Technicians of Venezuela and Guyana, both nations presented their proposed agendas, and committed to continuing dialogue, despite the existing differences between the parties.

The agreement was recorded after the meeting, held at the Itamaraty Palace, headquarters of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a joint statement released by the Brazilian Foreign Minister himself, Mauro Vieira.

"Our region has the political will and all the necessary instruments to advance its common project of fair social development, in a peaceful and supportive environment," the document states.

Likewise, he highlights that despite the wars that plague other parts of the world, "we have learned to value even more our Latin American and Caribbean culture of peaceful resolution of disputes, the basis of the community of interests that unites us, in an environment free of geopolitical tensions of extra-regional origin".

The text expresses its confidence that the parties continue to build trust to think about a common horizon, in the name of good neighborly ties that contribute to the well-being of the people.

Likewise, he thanked the presence of representatives of the Governments of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica, and specified that the next meeting of the Joint Commission could once again be held in Brasilia.

For his part, the Foreign Minister of Venezuela, Yván Gil, wrote in his X account that "on this occasion, we have reiterated the historical position of Venezuela, the message of peace from President Nicolás Maduro, as well as our firm resolution to respect the Agreement of Geneva and international law".

In this sense, the Venezuelan government representative stated that emphasis was placed on the importance "of avoiding the intervention of foreign powers in the controversy and the need to examine Guyana's position and actions regarding the undelimited maritime area to ensure respect for the conditions agreed for decades between our countries".

Yván Gil said on Wednesday, upon his arrival in Brasilia, that they did so with a "spirit of good faith" and they hope that the Guyana delegation arrives with the same spirit. In that same sense, he stressed that the talks would be based on agreements that contemplate "removing the possibility of linking foreign military powers" and channeling all litigation within the framework of international law.

The objective of the conclave is to maintain direct dialogue on the Essequibo territory and the agreements signed on December 14 between Venezuela and Guyana, on the island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

This Thursday, with this meeting, the Joint Commission of Foreign Ministers and Technicians of Venezuela and Guyana was formally established. One of the relevant points of the agreement that the Bolivarian delegation addressed is to avoid an escalation of tensions and the participation of third parties.

The meeting was attended by the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, as well as representatives of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac), the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and a delegation from the Foreign Ministry of Brazil, the mediating country of this meeting. According to reports, the meeting agreed to create subcommittees to address the issues of the territorial controversy over Guayana Esequiba.