Hundreds of stakeholders gathered in Kingston, Georgetown for the first day of this year’s Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo on Monday.
And as the conference opened with rousing presentations on Guyana’s exciting economic prospects, there were calls for the United States of America and the wider international community to continue supporting the country’s sovereignty.
Former Colombian President, Ivan Duque and Former U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo were among those who backed Guyana’s sovereignty in their presentations on the first day of the conference.
“We, as members of the international community (and) you as members of the investment community… and everybody has to reaffirm the sovereignty of the Guyanese people against any form of threat.
“Your presence today is a reaffirmation of that sovereignty,” Duque told the stakeholders gathered at the Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown.
Though Mr. Duque focused heavily on Guyana’s sustainable development plans throughout his presentation, the former Colombian President said he wanted to express his personal support for Guyana’s sovereignty.
In expressing that support, he alluded to Guyana’s border controversy with Venezuela.
The border controversy between Guyana and Essequibo is decades-old. The boundary, as internationally-recognised, was settled in 1899 through an Arbitral Award. It was accepted by Venezuela and Guyana (then British Guiana) until the 1960s as Guyana approached its independence.
A political mechanism known as the 1966 Geneva Agreement was set up to resolve the controversy but after decades of talks failed, the United Nations Secretary General referred the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is the UN’s principal judicial organ.
Duque said it is important for more people to support Guyana especially now as Guyana seeks a final, binding resolution to the long-standing border controversy with Venezuela.
Meanwhile, Mr. Pompeo also spoke about the need to support Guyana.
According to him, Guyana is an important energy player now. And if countries are keen on guaranteeing energy security, Guyana’s sovereignty must be supported.
“It’s an imperative for America to do all that it can to back Guyana’s sovereignty,” Pompeo said.
