President Ali to Venezuela: “We are peaceful — not weak”

-Head of State affirms Guyana’s sovereignty over 83,000 square miles

President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has reiterated the call for the Venezuelan Government to respect Guyana’s internationally recognised borders.

Guyana’s borders were established by the 1899 Arbitral Award which indefinitely settled the land boundary between Guyana (British Guiana then) and Venezuela.

Guyana’s head of state was at the time delivering his feature address at the commissioning of the $1.2 billion water treatment plant in Red Village, Onderneeming, Region Two on Friday.

While asserting Guyana’s longstanding peaceful posture, President Ali warned that any attempts to violate its territorial sovereignty would not be tolerated.

“We love you, the people of Venezuela, as our neighbours,” the president said.

He said, “But do not make the mistake to cross the fence. Don’t cross the fence.”

The president stressed that Guyana’s peacefulness should not be mistaken for weakness.

“We are peaceful people, but we are not weak people. We are strongly united, and our bodies are sealed together in unity. Our blood flows together in one constant beat, on the one heart,” he declared.

He emphasised the national motto, ‘One People, One Nation, One Destiny,’ as the nation’s commitment to unity and dignity.

The president also reminded that thousands of Venezuelans have been welcomed across Guyana’s borders in recent years, but made clear that this hospitality does not compromise the country’s territorial rights.

“To our Venezuelan brothers and sisters who are welcome within the borders of our world-class country, you have a right and a duty to honour [and] to respect the laws of Guyana. You have a duty not to do anything that would dishonour the 83,000 square miles of our power,” the Guyanese president

His comments come amid Venezuela’s claim to Guyana’s Essequibo region, despite  a pending court case that is currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The head of state’s remarks were met with strong applause from residents gathered at the commissioning ceremony in Region Two, an area he said is a special place in his life and leadership.