THE visit by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, despite being a short

one, from all indications seems to be a fruitful and productive one as several important agreements were clinched and it is evident that relations between the two South American neighbours will become closer and stronger, much to the benefit of their peoples.
What is notable about relations between the two countries is that despite a long border dispute which caused strains, and sometimes reached ominous levels, is that the friendship and cooperation grew stronger over the past decades, particularly during the presidency of the late Hugo Chavez. And it seems that President Maduro is committed to stay on the course of his late colleague and predecessor.
However, during his first visit to Guyana, President Maduro made some interesting revelations and disclosures on the border issue which undoubtedly brings greater clarity as to the source of the controversy and at the same time strong assurances by the Venezuelan government that there is no threat of a military invasion of Guyana.
The Venezuelan President asserted that the dispute was “a legacy of colonialism”. The territorial dispute over Essequibo dates back to a contest between Spanish and Dutch colonialists for territory. It later evolved into a clash between an independent Venezuela and the United Kingdom-governed British Guiana.
“It means that such a dispute is not the responsibility of the independent nations of today,” Maduro explained, saying that the issue is precisely “the wounds of old colonialisms” the Uruguayan author, Eduardo Galeano wrote of in his book, ‘The Open Veins of Latin America’.
The dispute between the United Kingdom and Venezuela had been settled under an arbitration process of 1899. However, the Venezuelan President asserted that the resuscitation of the Venezuelan claim to the Essequibo region in 1962 was planned to deliberately coincide with the impending onset of independence for British Guiana.
According to Maduro, there was a US-abetted campaign by the Venezuelan army via the Spanish-speaking country’s media “to create a psychological [by the Venezuelan people] position against [Guyana] expressed through hatred and racism in order to invade this country.” Referring to what he termed “declassified documents”, the Venezuelan President noted that the purpose of such a campaign “neutralise and undermine the independent forces of the Left in Guyana.” In the 1960s, the ascendancy of Marxist forces was deemed by the United States to be a threat, and that country repeatedly took covert and overt action against leftist elements globally.
Maduro urged the peoples of Guyana and Venezuela to remain cognisant of the West’s role in the dispute, declaring to loud applause: “We need to understand where we are standing and [then] no one [can] manipulate us and no can raise the flags of hatred and beat the drums of war. We need to be brothers and sisters [so] the media could not foster hatred between the nations. We have chosen the path of Chavez, to say the truth, to look for peace, to abide by international law.”
He pointed out that in 1966, however, an agreement between Venezuela and the UK, establishing a mechanism for discussion on how to establish the limits of the borders, was signed in Geneva. That treaty had set aside a period of four years until 1970 to settle the differences, Maduro said, noting: “However, those four years were not enough.”
And on June 18th, 1970 in Port-of-Spain, he went on to note, the Protocol of Port-of-Spain was signed between Rafael Caldera of Venezuela and Guyana’s Forbes Burnham.
Most of what was said by Mr. Maduro is known to many Guyanese as our late President Dr Cheddi Jagan, who was  premier in the colonial government of the late 1950s and early 1960s, from time to time spoke on the issue. But it is good that the explanation of the origin of the issue came from the Venezuelan side, especially for the benefit of the younger sections of the Guyanese people.
But very importantly Mr. Maduro has given the assurance that his government wants peace and observance of international law as these will build further trust and confidence between our peoples and augur well for deepening the existing bond of friendship and cooperation.  “We have chosen the path of Chavez, to say the truth, to look for peace, to abide by international law,” Mr. Maduro declared.