–as part of first meeting of Joint Commission in keeping with commitments to peace

THE Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Guyana and Venezuela are scheduled to meet on January 25, 2024 in Brasilia, Brazil, for the first meeting of the Joint Commission as envisioned by the Joint Declaration of Argyle for Dialogue and Peace agreed upon during the meeting of the Presidents of Guyana and Venezuela in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, on December 14, 2023.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation, emanating from the Argyle Declaration, the Joint Commission of the Foreign Ministers and technical persons from the two states is to address matters “as mutually agreed” upon.

Guyana remains fully committed to the principles of the Argyle Declaration in particular the maintenance of peace in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Guyana’s delegation will be led by Hugh Hilton Todd, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and will include Robert Persaud, Foreign Secretary; Ambassador Elisabeth Harper, Permanent Secretary; Richard Van West Charles, Ambassador of Guyana to Venezuela; Donnette Streete, Director of the Frontiers Department and Vernon Robinson, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. of the Guyana Embassy in Brazil.

Presidents Dr. Irfaan Ali and Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, during their engagement at the Argyle International Airport in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, had made a commitment to peace.

The meeting was facilitated by the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, and was observed by Brazil, CARICOM, and a UN Under-Secretary-General.

This historic meeting culminated in what is now known as the Argyle Declaration, an 11-point agreement which addresses matters consequential to the border controversy, including the fact that Guyana holds firmly to its position that the substantive case is before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The Argyle Declaration, issued by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on December 14, 2023, emphasised the commitment to a zone of peace, rejecting aggression or the threat of force against any member state.