Castries, Saint Lucia: Prime Minister Philip J Pierre attended a high-level meeting on the Essequibo Dispute in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The official meeting was conducted between the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana – Dr Irfaan Ali and the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela – Nicolas Maduro.
As per the sources, other delegates, such as the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Dr Ralph Gonzales and the Pro-Tempore President of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, were also present at the gathering. Chairman of CARICOM, Roosevelt Skerrit, co-chaired the high-level dialogue.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister – Dr Ernest Hilaire acted as Prime Minister and handled the responsibilities till the evening of December 14, 2023. The gathering took place amidst the increasing tensions over the Essequibo region.
Reportedly, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia Philip J Pierre was conjoined by the other CARICOM Heads of Government and leaders from the wider Latin America region for the high-level dialogue.
The purpose of the meeting was to de-escalate tensions between Guyana and Venezuela. The high-level meeting also aims to forge a pathway towards an amicable solution that can resolve the dispute.
Notably, PM Pierre and the CARICOM Heads of Government are committed to pursue all appropriate channels which ensure that the region stays in a zone of peace.
The officials aim to make the region peaceful for people to live in the betterment of preservation of longstanding friendly coexistence between Guyana and Venezuela.
The conflict between Guyana and Venezuela is a long-standing territorial dispute over the Essequibo region that escalated into a crisis this year, i.e. 2023. The controversy is raging as the region is majorly controlled by Guyana but Venezuela claims on it.
The dispute started many years ago when the current border was established by the Paris Arbitral Award in the year 1899. Later on, Venezuela renewed its claim in 1962 and the matter was registered to the International Court of Justice in the year 2018.
