-President Ali says as Joint Commission of Foreign Ministers, technical persons meet today in Brazil

GUYANA is honouring and fulfilling its role to maintain a peaceful region, as the country’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Hugh Todd, today leads a delegation to Brazil where a meeting will be held with Venezuelan officials, President Dr. Irfaan Ali said.

The Head of State, less than 24 hours before the Joint Commission of the Foreign Ministers and technical persons meet, told a local journalist here during an interview on Wednesday that the continued conversations between the two nations will set the stage for another scheduled meeting with himself and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro in keeping with the Argyle Declaration, an 11-point agreement that outlines a pledge from both countries to refrain from escalating the decades-old border controversy among the two states.

“I think the meeting is a very important step in fulfilling what we agreed on in St. Vincent, and that was the establishment of this commission to look at all the consequential matters to develop an agenda so that the conversation between the two countries can continue,” the Guyanese leader said.

In December, the two Heads of States met in St. Vincent & the Grenadines. The meeting was facilitated by the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, and 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 that addresses matters consequential to the border controversy, including the fact that Guyana stands firm in its position that the substantial case is before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

“We have quickly moved towards honouring the agreement, implementing the agreement, secondly it continues the conversation that is very critical, the conversation between Guyana and Venezuela. It adds to the stability and peaceful environment, and importantly, it gives us the opportunity to outline the agenda with items that both sides will want to speak on, issues of trade, climate, energy security, initiative to expand our trade to improve our neighbourly relationship. These are things that are crucial in a stable and peaceful environment,” President Ali said Wednesday.

Guyana’s delegation is 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, of the Guyana Embassy in Brazil.

GENESIS OF THE BORDER CONTROVERSY

The genesis of the border controversy goes back to the 1899 Arbitral Award, a landmark decision that delineated the land boundary between British Guiana (now Guyana) and Venezuela.
Despite the historic arbitration, tensions have persisted, with Venezuela repeatedly challenging the validity of the award.

In 2018, Guyana took a decisive step by approaching the International Court of Justice (ICJ) seeking affirmation of the award’s legitimacy.

Venezuela initially claimed that the ICJ lacked jurisdiction, a contention flatly rejected by the World Court in a crucial ruling in December 2020. The door was thus opened for the ICJ to delve into the merits of the substantive case.

HOW DID WE GET TO THE ARGYLE DECLARATION?

Prior to the meeting of the two South American leaders, Venezuela’s President held a Referendum on December 3, which was seen and feared to be a gateway for the Spanish-speaking nation to further fortify its claims to two-thirds of Guyana’s territory, the Essequibo region.

With tensions rising, a meeting was arranged for the two leaders to meet.

According to a recent press release from Guyana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the country remains fully committed to the principles of the Argyle Declaration, in particular the maintenance of peace in Latin America and the Caribbean.