PM Pierre attends Guyana-Venezuela Peace Talks with regional leaders

Castries, Saint Lucia: Prime Minister Philip J Pierre attended the Peace Talks held under the auspices of CELAC and CARICOM regarding the border issues between Guyana and Venezuela on Thursday.

The meeting took place in St Vincent and the Grenadines to discuss matters consequential to the border controversy between both nations.

Notably, the high-level dialogue led to talks between the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, and the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, due to increasing tension over the Essequibo region.

It is to be noted that the meeting was co-chaired by the Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonzales, and the Pro-Tempore President of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and Chair of CARICOM, Roosevelt Skerrit.

PM Pierre traveled via the RSS and joined other CARICOM heads and leaders from Latin America for the convention that seeks to de-escalate the issues and growing tensions between Guyana and Venezuela.

There is a need to forge a pathway towards a courteous settlement of the dispute.

Moreover, PM Pierre and other Heads of the Government of CARICOM are committed to using all appropriate means to ensure that the region remains a zone of peace by advancing the preservation of long-term peaceful coexistence between Guyana and Venezuela.

Notably, the Prime Minister took to his official Facebook handle to share glimpses of his visit to St Vincent. PM Pierre’s Facebook post gained a lot of public opinion. One such user named as Jadin Jn Pierre commented,

“The region is counting on your leadership during this frightening period. I am deeply disturbed by the moves being made and the tone of the rhetoric surrounding this border controversy. I look forward to meaningful engagement and timely intervention.”

Another user by the name Naula Williams stated, “Wish you blessings on this mission; hope we can have a good outcome so that peace and love continue to reign in this Caribbean region.”

In the absence of the leader of Saint Lucia, the Deputy Prime Minister, Ernest Hilaire, acted as Prime Minister until the evening of December 14, 2023.

Additionally, Guyana and Venezuela agreed to avoid the use of force and not escalate tensions in their long-running dispute over the oil-rich Essequibo area.

Furthermore, the two countries issued a joint statement:

“They will not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances and will refrain, whether by words or deeds, from escalating any conflict or disagreement,” said both regions in a joint statement.

However, tensions rose rapidly this month after voters in a Venezuelan referendum backed a move to make the Essequibo areas a new Venezuelan state. They even rejected the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is hearing the case on the border dispute.