Guyana committed to dialogue with Venezuela on enhancing relationship– President Ali tells CELAC Summit

Guyana’s President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali reiterated the nation’s clear commitment to peace and stability within the region and continued dialogue with its neighbour, Venezuela to accelerate the relationship between the two resource-rich countries.

The head of state was delivering his address at the VIII Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of CELAC held in the Caribbean Island of St Vincent and the Grenadines Friday.

He sounded this commitment in the presence of several Latin American and Caribbean leaders, including Venezuela’s President, Nicolás Maduro.

It was in this vein Guyana accepted the invitation of St Vincent’s Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, also President of the Pro Tempore Secretariat of CELAC, on dialogue with President Maduro in December.

“I assured everyone at that time, and now, that I am prepared to speak with President Maduro on any aspect that may contribute to enhancing the relationship between our two countries,” the head of state firmly expressed in his remarks.

The summit was reminded that the Joint Declaration of Argyle on Dialogue and Peace acknowledges that Guyana is committed to the legal process of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the absolute resolution of the border controversy.

President Ali underscored the country’s readiness to accept the court’s judgment on the matter and reiterated the country’s stance of maintaining the Latin America and Caribbean region as a ‘zone of peace’.

“We want peace. We want prosperity for our neighbours and all in this region. We want to be our brother’s keeper with our neighbour,” he underlined.

Meanwhile, President Ali called out his Bolivian counterpart for misinformed statements on Guyana’s air surveillance and sea exercises in his address at the VIII Summit of Heads of State and Government there.

In definite terms, Guyana’s President clarified that the exercises conducted were merely part of a bilateral and regional security cooperation that had nothing to do with the Guyana/Border controversy.

He emphasised Guyana’s fundamental principles and values are based on peace and its territory will never be used as a platform of war.

“Instead of drawing conclusions, States within the region must ascertain the facts. Statements that are not based on facts can only add destablisation … It is also important to note that no mention was made about the incursions into Guyana’s territorial space,” the president asserted.

On the topic of peace, President Ali again denounced the senseless acts of aggression and inhumanity being meted out to the citizens of Ukraine and Palestine.

“We must never allow the peoples of this region to be subjected to such “actions. The genocide in Palestine must come to an end and hostages held must be returned,” President Ali sounded.