…to protect Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity – President Ali says
-warns against misinformation, fear mongering

AMIDST continued aggression from Venezuela and the Government of Nicolas Maduro to forge ahead with its illegal December 3, 2023, referendum on Guyana’s Essequibo region, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, President Dr Irfaan Ali on Saturday reaffirmed that his administration is “sparing no effort” to protect the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Head of State made the declaration during a press conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, where he noted that Guyana is actively engaging its foreign partners.
“…What is necessary at this time is for us to do everything at every level to ensure that Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is kept intact,” he stated.

The President then firmly stated that Guyana’s strategic partners will not stand aside and allow its territorial sovereignty to be trampled upon.
With Venezuela seemingly going full speed ahead with its referendum, President Ali has been treating this matter with the utmost seriousness, as he has been engaging the international and regional community.

“I’m confident that are our partners will be alongside us should Venezuela act wrongly [and] act recklessly,” Dr. Ali.
He added, “We are sparing no effort and I am confident that the work we are doing will not only ensure this.

“As your President, I am confident that the course Guyana is taking will not only bring us success but will ensure that our region remains a region of peace.”
The President also addressed any doubts about the support of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

“All of the CARICOM leaders have expressed their unequivocal support to Guyana,” he said while underscoring that the Heads of Government understand that the Guyana/Venezuela controversy is before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and not open for discussion.

Apart from gathering support from the diplomatic community, the Head of State remarked that the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has also been “aggressively communicating” with other military counterparts.

“…The Chief of Staff himself, and other chiefs in the region and outside of the region, and this has been going on at a rapid and continuous pace,” he related.
Willing to engage Maduro

Because the Spanish-speaking country is Guyana’s neighbour, President Ali said he is open to discussions with the Venezuelan President, but not on the Guyana/Venezuela controversy since the matter is before the World Court.

“We have chosen the ICJ as the place where the controversy from Venezuela must be settled. The matter is properly before the court so it is not up for negotiations and discussions,” he said.
Refusing to by-pass the ICJ, the Head of State told reporters, “As a good neighbour, understanding that we live in the same region and share the same space, understanding that there are important issues that must be addressed together, I have always said that I am prepared to meet on this matter and address those issues as all good neighbours do.”

Fear Mongering
President Ali also spoke about social media being used as a vehicle by many to drive fear into the populace.

He referenced fake press releases being circulated on social media and called on citizens to only rely on the Government of Guyana, GDF and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation for information.

“I can assure members of the public that we are actively [and] continuously ensuring domain awareness. And I want to commend our men and women in uniform for the work that they’re doing, and the type of information set that allows us to be confident in what we’re doing.

“I believe strongly that there is no fear that should be driven in the Guyanese people or in your psyche at this moment,” the President emphasised.
Furthermore, the President stated that he will be engaging members of the media on a strategy to educate the population.

“…We should be very careful of not sensationalising this issue and coming up with the wrong assumptions and creating unnecessary unease,” he added.

Recently, old videos have been circulated on various social media platforms such as Tik Tok. Some of these videos take shape of military operations from both Guyana and Venezuela.
Meanwhile, responding directly to reports of residents in border communities being urged to move away, the President said this should not be.

“There is absolutely no reason to move from anywhere.

“That is the type of fear-mongering that people are pushing on social media but there is absolutely no reason (to move) and the Guyana Defence Force is working very steadily and as I said before I am confident in their ability, the work they are doing and the type of discussions we are having with our partners,” the Head of State said.

All previous dispute resolutions and more specifically, bilateral talks, were futile in solving the Guyana/Venezuela controversy.

On October 3, 1899, the arbitral tribunal created by the Washington Treaty issued its decision. That award gave Venezuela ownership of the entire mouth of the Orinoco River and the area next to it, while the United Kingdom was granted ownership of the land eastward to the Essequibo River. A joint Anglo-Venezuelan panel was tasked with drawing the border delineated by the 1899 Award the following year. The assignment was completed by the commission between November 1900 and June 1904. Following the boundary’s demarcation, on January 10, 1905, the British and Venezuelan commissioners created an official boundary map and signed a document acknowledging, among other things, that the sites indicated’ coordinates were accurate.

Furthermore, the ICJ is expected to rule soon on Guyana’s request for provisional measures to prevent Venezuela from proceeding with its planned referendum on the unlawful territorial claim to the Essequibo region.

Guyana is also seeking from the court an order preventing Venezuela from taking any action to seize, acquire, encroach upon, or assert or exercise sovereignty over the Essequibo region or any other part of Guyana’s national territory, pending the court’s final determination of the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award that established the land boundary between the two states and the final and binding nature of that boundary.