In a press conference on Tuesday, Guyanese President Irfaan Ali refused to bow to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro over their oil and mineral territorial dispute.
Ali commented during the press conference he held during a talk break with Maduro on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent.
Guyana Refuses to Bow to Venezuela
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 18: H.E. President of Republic Guayana Mohamed Irfaan Ali speaks during the 2023 Concordia Annual Summit at Sheraton New York on September 18, 2023 in New York City.
Guyana's government said they were not up for a discussion, negotiation, or deliberation about Guyana's control over Essequibo, a vast border region located along its border with Venezuela.
"All of this belongs to Guyana," Ali said, pointing to a thick leather bracelet on his right wrist featuring the outline of Guyana. He claimed that no narrative propaganda or decree could change that it was Guyana.
He also noted that while both parties were committed to maintaining peace in the region, Guyana was not the aggressor. He said that Guyana was not seeking war, but Guyana reserves the right to work with all of its partners to ensure the defense of our country.
Maduro refused to talk to the reporters during the break as he had already informed them ahead of the meeting that they would make the most of the conference so that Latin America and the Caribbean would maintain peace.
According to the Toronto Star, the two presidents grasped hands before beginning their talks as leaders clapped.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Biden administration officials closely monitored the rising tensions. He added that they did not want to see the dispute come to blows as there was no reason for it to, and their diplomats were engaged in real time.
The two leaders first met individually with prime ministers and other officials from the region who had initiated the meeting at the Argyle International Airport on St. Vincent. Guyana's government said on Tuesday that they were waiting for a ruling from the International Court of Justice in The Netherlands over the dispute.
The statement on Thursday said that regional leaders concurred with Guyana's position. Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, added that to use a cricket metaphor, it should be more than a one-day cricket match.
He added their talk would be necessary on friendly, neutral grounds like St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Maduro ordered state-owned companies to discover and exploit Essequibo's oil, gas, and mines. Venezuela and Guyana both put their militaries on alert.
Furthermore, in a letter to Gonsalves, Ali rejected what he said was Maduro's description of the meddling of the United States Southern Command, which has begun operations in the disputed territory.
Ali said in the letter that any allegation that a military operation aimed at Venezuela exists in any part of Guyanese territory was false, misleading, and provocative.
Dispute Between Guyana, Venezuela
Tension over Essequibo has increased concerns about a military conflict, though many believe that unlikely. Venezuela insists the Essequibo region was part of its territory during the Spanish colonial period.
The tension also argues a 1966 Geneva Agreement between Venezuela, Britain, and then-British Guiana, now Guyana, nullified a border drawn in 1899 by international arbitrators.
The dispute recently revived with the discovery of oil masses in Guyana. The conflict intensified when Venezuela reported that its citizens had voted in a December 3 referendum to claim two-thirds of their smaller neighbor.
Related Article: Guyana, Venezuela Leaders Agree To Meet To Discuss Territorial Dispute
