Caracas, Dec 14 (EFE).- Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Guyanese President Irfaan Ali expressed their willingness to continue the dialogue to resolve the dispute over the Essequibo region, in a meeting held Thursday in St. Vincent and the Grenadines that ended after 4 pm local time, according to Caracas.
The Venezuelan Minister of Communication, Freddy Ñáñez, announced the conclusion of the bilateral meeting in a short message published on the social network X (formerly Twitter), where he shared a video showing both presidents standing up and shaking hands.
Ñáñez said that the “successful bilateral meeting” demonstrated that “the only way to resolve the territorial dispute is through dialogue, with understanding and respect, free of interference, with the well-being of the region as a priority.”
Maduro and Ali talked after holding meetings with leaders of the Community of Caribbean States (Caricom) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac), the organizers of the meeting.
Tension between the two neighbors escalated after Venezuela, in a unilateral referendum on December 3, approved the annexation of a territory under Georgetown’s control that the two countries have disputed since colonial times.
Maduro’s government ordered the establishment of a military division near the disputed territory, but without conducting any military operations for the time being, and the modification of Venezuela’s official map to include Essequibo Guyana.
In order to reduce tensions and avoid unilateral actions, the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Celac, with the of Caricom and the United Nations, proposed to the conflicting parties Thrusday’s meeting.
On the other hand, the Cuban government said on Thursday that for “several months” it has been promoting s between Venezuela and Guyana and that it “led” the efforts to arrange Thursday’s meeting.
Until now, the Cuban government had been publicly silent on the Essequibo crisis, a conflict with strong regional implications, and sources say that this was due to its “active participation” in these s.
After the meeting, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel assured on X (formerly Twitter) that the island “welcomes the talks between the presidents of Venezuela and Guyana.”
Meanwhile, the National Assembly of Venezuela delayed the approval of the bill for the annexation of the territory.
The Chavismo-controlled legislature held two sessions between Wednesday and Thursday without making any mention of the so-called Law for the Defense of Essequibo Guayana, with which they seek to formalize the creation of a new Venezuelan state in the disputed territory controlled by Georgetown.
With this law, Venezuela intends to establish a provisional policy “until” elections are held in the disputed territory or a “practical and mutually acceptable solution” is reached with Guyana. EFE
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