The confrontation between the presidents of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, was settled with an agreement in which both countries ruled out the use of force in the controversy over Essequibo, an area rich in oil. has been arguing for more than a century

Guyana and Venezuela “agreed that under no circumstances will they use direct or indirect force against each other.”including those arising out of any controversies between the two States,” said part of a joint statement read by Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, host of the meeting.

They “also agreed that any dispute between the two states will be resolved in accordance with international law, including the Geneva Agreement,” the letter said.

The leaders concluded with a handshake a meeting of about two hours in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, promoted by the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), with support from Brazil.

Before the reading of the joint statement, President Ali emphasized his country’s right to exploit its “sovereign space.”

“Guyana is not the aggressor, Guyana is not seeking war, Guyana reserves the right to work with our allies to ensure the defense of our countryAli said at a subsequent press conference, without giving up his position on the dispute.

“Guyana has every right (…) to facilitate any investment, any partnership (…), the issuance of any license and the granting of any concession in our sovereign space.”

The meeting took place amid growing concerns over the increasingly harsh exchange of statements between the two leaders over Essequibo, a 160,000 km2 area rich in oil and natural resources that Georgetown controls and Caracas claims.

Maduro – who still did not make a statement at the end of the meeting – said he came to the meeting looking for ‘the path of dialogue and negotiation‘to arrive at ‘effective solutions’.

“The intermediaries will probably have to find something so that Maduro does not leave the meeting with nothing,” Sadio Garavini di Turno, former Venezuelan ambassador to Guyana, told AFP, who saw a statement “feasible” in “It is said that they are going to de- escalate, that they will continue to talk at lower tensions.”

Maduro saw the quote as “a great achievement“to directly address the territorial controversy,” but Ali denied that the dispute was on the agenda and insisted on his position that it should be resolved by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), whose jurisdiction is unknown to the Venezuelan government.

Oil, point of conflict

Although a centuries-old dispute, the dispute intensified in 2015 after US oil company ExxonMobil discovered large reserves of crude oil in the claimed area.

Venezuela accuses Guyana of making concessions in demarcated maritime waters, and following a referendum on the claimed area, the country began a process on December 3 to grant permits from state-owned PDVSA in disputed waters.

The consultation also approved the creation of a province of Venezuela in the region and granted nationality to its inhabitants. Maduro has brought a map with Essequibo already listed as a state.

Guyana, which saw the talks as a “threat,” took the matter to the UN Security Council and announced contacts with military “partners” such as the United States, which conducted military exercises in Essequibo.

Brazil, for its part, fortified its northern border.

The Venezuelan government’s usual anti-imperialist rhetoric focused on accusing Ali of being “a slave” of ExxonMobil.

Garavini di Turno stressed that Venezuela has “curiously” avoided mentioning other major companies participating in the largest concession granted by the Guyanese government in the area, that of the Stabroek bloc, such as the cases of the China National Petroleum Corporation and the also American Chevron, two companies that operate in this country and have been sanctioned by Washington.

On Monday, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil raised the possibility that there could be “oil and gas cooperationwithout going into details.

In Thursday’s joint statement, Guyana and Venezuela also agreed to meet in Brazil in three months. (JO)