A joint declaration has been issued by Guyana and Venezuela following a meeting of the two presidents. Significantly, they agreed that Guyana and Venezuela, directly or indirectly, will not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances, including those consequential to any existing controversies between the two States.
See the full declaration below:
THE JOINT DECLARATION OF ARGYLE FOR DIALOGUE AND PEACE BETWEEN GUYANA AND VENEZUELA
On Thursday, December 14, 2023, in Argyle, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, His Excellency Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and His Excellency Nicolas Maduro, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela held discussions on matters consequential to the territory in dispute between their two countries.
These discussions were facilitated by the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Pro-Tempore President of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Dr. The Honourable Ralph E. Gonsalves, and the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica and Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Honourable Roosevelt Skerrit. Prime Ministers Gonsalves and Skerrit, together with H.E. Mr. Celso Amorim, Special Adviser and Personal Envoy of H.E. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, acted as principal Interlocutors. Also present were Honourable Prime Ministers of the Caribbean Community, namely: the Honourable Philip Davis, Prime Minister of The Bahamas; the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados; the Honourable Dickon Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada; the Honourable Philip J. Pierre, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia; Honourable Terrence Drew of Saint Kitts and Nevis and Dr. The Honourable Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
Attending as Observers on behalf of His Excellency António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations were Their Excellencies Earle Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet of the Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Miroslav Jenca, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. In addition, His Excellency Alvaro Leyva Durán, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Colombia and Mr. Gerardo Torres Zelaya, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Honduras, in his capacity as CELAC Troika, also participated.
All parties attending the meeting at Argyle, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines reiterated their commitment to Latin America and the Caribbean remaining a Zone of Peace.
Guyana and Venezuela declared as follows:
- Agreed that Guyana and Venezuela, directly or indirectly, will not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances, including those consequential to any existing controversies between the two States.
- Agreed that any controversies between the two States will be resolved in accordance with international law, including the Geneva Agreement dated February 17, 1966.
- Committed to the pursuance of good neighborliness, peaceful coexistence, and the unity of Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Noted Guyana’s assertion that it is committed to the process and procedures of the International Court of Justice for the resolution of the border controversy. Noted Venezuela’s assertion of its lack of consent and lack of recognition of the International Court of Justice and its jurisdiction in the border controversy.
- Agreed to continue dialogue on any other pending matters of mutual importance to the two countries.
- Agreed that both States will refrain, whether by words or deeds, from escalating any conflict or disagreement arising from any controversy between them. The two States will cooperate to avoid incidents on the ground conducive to tension between them. In the event of such an incident the two States will immediately communicate with one another, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Community of Latin America and the Caribbean (CELAC), and the President of Brazil to contain, reverse and prevent its recurrence.
- Agreed to establish immediately a joint commission of the Foreign Ministers and technical persons from the two States to address matters as mutually agreed. An update from this joint commission will be submitted to the Presidents of Guyana and Venezuela within three
- Both States agreed that Prime Minister Ralph E. Gonsalves, the Pro-Tempore President of CELAC, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, the incumbent CARICOM Chairman, and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil will remain seized of the matter as Interlocutors and the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres as Observer, with the ongoing concurrence of Presidents Irfaan Ali and Nicolas Maduro. For the avoidance of doubt, Prime Minister Gonsalves’ role will continue even after Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ceases to be the Pro-Tempore President of CELAC, within the framework of the CELAC Troika plus one; and Prime Minister Skerrit’s role will continue as a member of the CARICOM Bureau.
- Both States agreed to meet again in Brazil, within the next three months, or at another agreed time, to consider any matter with implications for the territory in dispute, including the above-mentioned update of the joint commission.
- We express our appreciation to Prime Ministers Gonsalves and Skerrit, to President Lula and his Personal Envoy Celso Amorim, to all other CARICOM Prime Ministers present, to the officials of the CARICOM Secretariat, to the CELAC Troika and to the Head of the CELAC PTP Secretariat in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, His Excellency Dr. Douglas Slater, for their respective roles in making this meeting a success.
- We express our appreciation to the Government and people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for their kind facilitation and hospitality at this meeting.
Dated this 14th day of December, 2023.
I cannot understand how the Caribbean can remain a Zone of Peace without justice prevailing in Guyana when in flagrant violation of the Charters of the UN and the OAS inclusive of the 1 December Judgment of the ICJ, Venezuela has quite unlawfully used its sham internal Consultative Referendum to seize control of the Essequibo Region and establish a litany of administrative measures with designated personnel inclusive of conducting mining , tourism and having given oil companies operating in the Stabroek Bloc, the lifeline of Guyana, three months to quit these areas all in complete and vulgar violation of international law as laid down by the ICJ (instantaneous international law) between the parties.
How can there be peace in the region when Guyana has a more militant incarnation/ version of the perennial Venezuelan Sword of Damocles now more visible within its Essequibo County and extending to its appurtenant Territorial Sea, its EEZ and its natural prolongation of the continental shelf up to and beyond 200 miles?
The Meeting should have agreed to persuade Venezuela to undertake internal discussions with a view to restoring the status quo ante 3 December 2023 when the ICJ ruled that Venezuela has no right to enter The Essequibo and to report at the next meeting in Brazil.
Venezuela that is a party to the Charter of the ICJ ipso facto from being a founding member of the UN and having participated in the proceedings of the ICJ from the beginning up to 15 November cannot abdicate and indicate that it does not respect nor adhere to the recent ruling of the ICJ.
This is international law from which Venezuela cannot derogate and the Communique allowed and endorsed Venezuelan lawlessness and circumventing of the principles of estoppel and recognition.
Once Venezuela’s now illegal claim to Essequibo and virtual annexation and administration is in place it constitutes a real threat to the peace in the Region because Guyana will not lie down and allow the Guardia Nacional to walk over it.
How and when will this threat be removed or is it a part of the new status quo the interruption of which will be the cause for the violation of the Zone of peace?
This Communique is heavily weighted in favour of Venezuela as you can expect from the previous ambivalence demonstrated by Mottley, Rowley, Gonzales and Skerrit.
Caricom is happy with the new status quo created by an imperialistic Venezuela. Only Guyana can now violate the Zone of Peace or remain truncated of three quarters of its territorial sovereignty and political independence.