Venezuela committed to end Guyana border dispute

Venezuela is committed to finding a peaceful way to end the border dispute between itself and Guyana, says Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in St Vincent and the Grenadines Yuri Pimentel.

On Wednesday, February 17, Ambassador Pimentel held a forum at the Embassy of Venezuela in the Sutherland’s Building on Murray Road, where he sought to explain the dispute to Vincentians.{{more}}

“We do not want to have any conflict with Guyana, as our way is of friendship and integration and we are always guided by a diplomacy of peace,” stressed the ambassador, who added, “the dispute is being exploited by foreign interest to generate a disinformation campaign against our country and President Nicholas Maduro.”

Speaking to persons gathered at the Embassy, the ambassador said that Guyana and Venezuela are still involved in a dispute that is over 200 years old, over a territory legitimately Venezuelan.

He said that in the past, powers have fraudulently and in a coercive manner, tried to snatch a territory on which Venezuela has indisputable titles and, “neither a precarious occupation, nor activity or settlement on the Essequibo grants any rights. Nothing changes our legitimacy.”

The ambassador noted that locally, the function was being held to commemorate 50 years of the Geneva agreement, an important agreement with regards to the current land dispute.

“I wish to shed light on the matter. On behalf of the Venezuelan people and government I wish to express our joy on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Geneva agreement bilateral and international law comprising justice of the Venezuelan claim on the Essequibo to achieve a friendly, practical, satisfactory arrangement for both parties,” said Ambassador Pimentel.

He said that the 1966 Geneva agreement is an international treaty validly accepted by the United Nations, in which the terms are established to resolve the “fraudulent dispossession carried by the imperial powers against our country.”

The Venezuelan ambassador stressed that 50 years after its signing, “we appreciate your presence here today. We will use the opportunity to explain some details of this agreement, the historical process and current situation framing the way of the Bolivarian peace diplomacy in defence of our legitimate rights in the Essequibo.”

Reading a statement issued by President Maduro, the ambassador quoted that 50 years after the signing, Venezuela has demonstrated a wavering conviction for peace, legality, justice and full respect for all the principals of international law.

“In historical terms there are about 200 years of dispute over this territory and Venezuela always presented legal arguments… Venezuela has undergone invasion and plunder of its territorial integrity by the British empire of the 19th century. The Venezuelan Guyana Essequibo is still under a dispute that was inherited from the British colonialists. Venezuela in no case has committed acts of aggression or invasion of territories of other states, not Guyana and not any other country,” said the Venezuelan ambassador.

He said that persons should always remember that the armies commanded by the liberator Simon Bolivar liberated six nations and never conquered, but only gave freedom.

“Venezuela seeks to solve the territorial dispute representing the British seizure of its territory. Venezuela signed the 1966 agreement to find a satisfactory practical and peaceful solution to the dispute.

“There is no contradiction in our historical claim, which dates back to more than a century. To act in this territory you need to act in joint collaboration. We only recognize the intervention of the secretary general of the United Nations as legitimate, in accordance with the Geneva agreement,” Ambassador Pimentel explained.

He noted that Venezuela is certain that the UN will soon provide a healthy, logical determination, noting, “We have shown solidarity with the people of the world.”

Of the dispute, an online publication, ‘Independent’, says “history shows that Venezuela has long claimed a huge tract of land known as the Essequibo, which comprises nearly 40 per cent of Guyana’s current territory, much to the chagrin of the smaller nation. UN officials hope to take the sting out of the altercation by brokering a deal between Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and Guyana’s President David Granger, but history suggests it won’t be that simple.”(LC)