The presidents of Venezuela and Guyana will meet face to face to avoid conflict over Essiquibo
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his Guyanese counterpart, Irfaan Ali, will meet on Thursday to discuss the growing dispute between their countries over the oil-rich Essequibo region, amid growing international warnings against escalating the conflict.
The meeting will be held in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, according to the Prime Minister of the Caribbean country Ralph Gonsalves, who said that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was also invited at the request of both parties.
Gonsalves, whose country currently chairs the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, said in a letter to Maduro and Ali that the meeting will be held under the auspices of that organization and another regional body, the Community of Caribbean.
There is an "urgent need to de-escalate the conflict and establish an appropriate, face-to-face dialogue," Gonsalves said.
“You both agreed with this assessment in seeking peaceful coexistence, applying and respecting international law and avoiding the use or threat of force.”
Tension has risen on the Essequibo , historically controlled by Guyana, since Maduro's government held a controversial referendum last weekend in which 95% of voters supported declaring Venezuela as its rightful owner, according to the official results.
The United States, Britain, Russia and South American countries have all urged de-escalation and a peaceful solution. The US even flew flights over the area, in agreement with Guyana, to confirm its presence.
The United Nations Security Council held a closed-door meeting on Friday on the dispute, which is also the subject of litigation at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
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The article The presidents of Venezuela and Guyana will meet face to face to avoid conflict over Essiquibo comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/i-presidenti-di-venezuela-e-guyana-si-vedranno-faccia-a-faccia-per-evitare-il-conflitto-sullessiquibo/ on Sun, 10 Dec 2023 07:00:35 +0000.