The presidents of Guyana and Venezuela agreed not to “threaten or use force against each other” and to hold another meeting in Brazil to discuss the situation in Essequibo, an oil-rich Guyanese territory claimed by Venezuela.
The joint statement refers to a “border dispute” and a “disputed territory,” but does not mention Essequibo by name.
Prior to the meeting between the two presidents, the Guyanese government issued a statement saying that Essequibo “is not up for discussion, negotiation or deliberation.”
Guyanese President Irfaan Ali and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro met at the Argyle International Airport in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac).
The meeting was proposed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil last week, during the recent summit of the Mercosur trade alliance.
The host of the meeting, Vincentian Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, said the issue was not “a one-match championship” and that there would be “new rounds” of talks.
Presidents Ali and Maduro shook hands. In a brief press conference, Mr. Ali showed a bracelet with a map of Guyana, including Essequibo, and said, “this is the map of Guyana.”
Celso Amorim, Lula’s top foreign policy advisor, also attended the meeting. He said that the most important result was “the continuation of the dialogue”.
The statement signed by the two presidents said that “both states agreed to meet again in Brazil within the next three months, or at another agreed time, to discuss all matters that have an impact on the disputed territory.”
The Brazilian government has done more to avoid responsibility for a potential war than to persuade Venezuela not to attack or not to claim its neighbor’s territory.
During a Senate hearing this week, Brazil’s newly confirmed ambassadors to both Guyana and Venezuela also remained noncommittal about Mr. Maduro’s ambitions.
On December 3, Venezuela’s authoritarian government held a referendum on its claim to Essequibo, an oil-rich region that makes up two-thirds of the territory of neighboring Guyana.
Following the results of the referendum, Mr. Maduro ordered the “immediate” exploitation of the region’s natural resources and unveiled a new map of his country that included Essequibo within its borders.
Learn more: Venezuela-Guyana Essequibo dispute exacerbates after oil discovery
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