AMID the Opposition’s indication that it has boycotted the Guyana Border Commission in retaliation to President David Granger’s appointment of Justice (ret’d) James Patterson as Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), President David Granger has commended the “strong support” of the Opposition on the border controversy.
In his address to the National Assembly Thursday, the head-of-state said tremendous effort has been made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to have the border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela resolved peacefully.

“Your Government, ever mindful of our duty to secure our territorial integrity and protect national sovereignty, has been engaged in various, vigorous diplomatic initiatives.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the strong support of the Opposition over the past 30 months, has aimed these efforts at reaching a peaceful resolution to the territorial controversy which arose out of the contention by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela that the arbitral award of October 1899 was null.”

The President noted that the controversy was placed before the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), in accordance with the Geneva Agreement of 1966. The matter was before former Secretary-General Ban ki Moon, and after he demitted office it was taken up by his successor Antonio Guterres

The President has since met Guterres on September 25, in New York and his Personal Representative, Dag Halvor Nylander on April 11 in Georgetown.
“The Minister of Foreign Affairs has met the UNSG’s Personal Representative on several occasions. We are engaged, at present, in a renewed Good Offices process,” said the President, who expressed confidence that the “common commitment of the Government and Opposition will eventuate in strong national support for a juridical settlement of this controversy which has impaired the development of our nation”.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Guyana and Venezuela met in New York on October 28 and 29 to discuss the border controversy between their two countries and agreed to meet again to continue discussions on the controversy and explore options for a resolution.
The personal representative of the Secretary-General, Dag Nylander, facilitated discussions, organised within the framework of the Good Offices mandate entrusted to the Secretary-General under the Geneva Agreement of 1966.

The foreign ministers and their delegations exchanged views on issues related to the controversy with the aim of exploring options for a full agreement for its resolution.
They also reaffirmed their commitment to the Good Offices process and reiterated that their Governments will remain actively engaged with the personal representative, a note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday.