President Irfaan Ali on Thursday said he intends to pursue all avenues which are consistent with good governance practice as he seeks an amicable resolution to the acts of aggression from Venezuela in wake of its continued false claims to Guyana’s Essequibo region and maritime space.
This comes even as Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd issued a second protest note in the last two months to the Venezuelan Ambassador to Guyana, Luis Edgardo Diaz Monclus, following the invasion of two fighter jets in Guyana’s airspace.
On Thursday, President Irfaan Ali joined in condemning Venezuela’s aggression.
The President, shortly after addressing a police conference at the National Cultural Centre, told reporters that Guyana has reached out to its bilateral and regional partners to ensure the international community is continuously engaged. Dr Ali said Guyana’s international partners have expressed outrage at the situation and assured that they will be making public statements of condemnation.
Meanwhile, Minister Todd on Thursday also made a statement in the National Assembly in which he committed to working across the political divide as Guyana presents a united response to Venezuela.
Todd later met virtually with Acting Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the United States of America, Julie Chung.
According to a release from the ministry, during that meeting, Todd conveyed his gratitude for the continued support Guyana receives from the United States on the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy. He reiterated Guyana’s commitment to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) process and expressed his confidence in the 1899 Arbitral Award being upheld.
He also informed of the incursion into Guyana’s airspace, and emphatically stated that such actions are not consistent with international law and convention.
Guyana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that at approximately 13:20 hrs, two Venezuelan army fighter jets flew over the community of Eteringbang and the airstrip at a very low altitude of 1,500 feet.
In condemning the latest act of aggression by the Venezuelan armed forces, the government said the fighter jets circled the location once before proceeding in an easterly direction.
