PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali is in St. Vincent & The Grenadines today for the highly anticipated meeting called by Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, backed by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Community of Latin American States (CELAC).

President Ali has the backing of the National Assembly and all of Guyana in his decision to attend the meeting, but only for the purposes of the face-to-face dialogue on matters that do not include anything that can compromise Guyana’s national sovereignty.
This message is very clear, as there is no “dispute”, just a continuing controversy that Venezuela has decided to pursue with such sudden finality in 2023 as to threaten to forcibly occupy Guyana’s Essequibo and make our citizens salute the Venezuelan flag.

But worst of all, Caracas has had the temerity to redraw the original map of Venezuela to include Guyana’s Essequibo region.
Guyana is totally committed to keeping the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, something Venezuela was once committed to, but seems to have abandoned in pursuit of the practically impossible occupation of Essequibo.

Guyana has the backing of allies and friends in the Caribbean, South and North America, the UK, the Commonwealth, but is really more interested in a discussion of matters consequential to the ongoing controversy that erases threats of force from the vocabulary between states and replaces it with respect for the rule of law, without prejudice to Guyana’s case being heard by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

As PM Gonsalves wisely adumbrated in his letter to the two presidents, “Experience has shown that it’s always wise, mature and preferable for nations in conflict to meet and talk calmly and patiently, in order to avoid any escalation into threats of use of force…”

We also agree with his assertion that “Resolution of old controversies in these contemporary and challenging times is not easy, but rather strenuous for leaders, but a strenuous life lived in peace is preferable to one of ignoble ease in permanent conflict or a violent encounter…”

That said, it’s never too much to repeat that Guyana isn’t interested in approaching this controversy as a dispute, as Essequibo has always been ours.
It’s unwise to say that nothing can come out of a meeting that hasn’t taken place and it’s good that knowledgeable figures who so postulated have had a welcome change of heart, as Guyana has made it clear that questioning the validity of Guyana’s arguments before the ICJ is simply not an agenda item – or anything that refuses to accept that Essequibo belongs to Guyana.

This matter has now escalated into questions being raised about the thousands of Venezuelans of Guyanese birth – and vice versa – who’ve fled conditions in Venezuela and crossed into Guyana for refuge and a better life and whose national identities are being friendly examined by local authorities.

Interestingly, Venezuela’s President insists he’s in St. Vincent to discuss a dispute that doesn’t exist and has also given advanced notice Caracas will not respect the ICJ’s decision, even while the court is still meeting and there is no indication how and when it will rule.

Venezuela is also wrongly claiming that today’s meeting was somehow the result of its December 3 referendum, when Dr Gonsalves indicated, in his letter, that this initiative started since September 29, 2023.

Waxing religious, Dr Gonsalves has warned: “Talking is always better than fighting…” and “while the issues are difficult, it will be necessary for the participants to summon the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job and the foresight of the ancient Hebrew prophets…”
Here’s hoping Venezuela understands.