THE president of Guyana, Irfaan Ali and his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro, held tense talks amid the crisis between the two countries over the dispute over the oil-rich region of Essequibo.
With a shake of hands, both promised to not use force for now they will not use the force to resolve the conflict about said territory.
Ali said that the international court would be the one to resolve the dispute between the two countries.
Guyana’s president also said that he already made it very clear that his country has all the rights of Essequibo.
Venezuela’s President, Nicolas Maduro also manifested and said, the only resolution for that is the dialogue.
Venezuela once again claimed the territory of Essequibo, on the border between the two countries, in recent years after the discovery of a reserve with the potential to produce around 11 billion barrels of offshore oil and gas.
Venezuela also organized a referendum claim to Essequibo.
Before the vote, the International Court of Justice decided that the Venezuelan government should refrain from taking any type of action that could change the situation in the territory.
However, the Court did not prevent the referendum from taking place. Result: Maduro’s government said that more than 95% of the population voted to annex the territory, which makes up 70% of Guyana.
Days later, the Venezuelan leader announced the creation of Guyana’s Essequibo integral defense zone and appointed a general as the “sole authority” in the area.
Guyana’s president, Irfaan Ali, considered the measure a threat to the territory and called for a meeting of the UN Security Council.
During the closed meeting at the United Nations, Ecuador presented a text that asks Venezuela and Guyana to reach a peaceful solution to the dispute over the territory of Essequibo and for the rules of international law to be respected.
Meanwhile, Brazilian President Lula da Silva’s office he had spoken with Maduro by phone earlier Saturday and proposed that Community of Latin American and Caribbean States should set up talks with both sides.
Lula also warned Maduro against unilateral measures that could escalate the situation.
It can be noted that the tensions between Venezuela and Guyana soared after American company Exxon Mobil discovered a large reserve of oil in the waters of the disputed territory in 2015.
