Venezuela and Guyana promise each other and the outside world to refrain from violence in the conflict over the oil-rich border region of Essequibo in Guyana.
In a statement, after the meeting between the President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro and the President of Guyana Irfaan Ali, it is emphasized that the two countries under no circumstances intend to use violence to resolve conflicts between them, regardless of whether it concerns Essequibo or other disagreements.
The two presidents met on neutral ground, on St Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean, and the island nation’s Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves read a nine-point statement afterwards.
According to the statement, the countries do not agree on what legislation can be used to resolve the conflict over Essequibo, but they should strive to reduce tensions. Within three months, the presidents will meet again, in Brazil.
Despite international protests, Venezuela recently held a referendum on the question of whether Essequibo (also spelled Esequiba) in neighboring Guyana should actually belong to Venezuela.
According to Venezuelan authorities, 10.5 million of the country’s 20.7 million eligible voters participated, and 95 percent voted yes.
As recently as last Friday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague ruled that Venezuela must not act in any way that could change control over the region. But Venezuela does not recognize the UN court’s role in the dispute and carried out the referendum as planned.