President Ali urges Guyanese to rely on official communication channels in relation to Guyana/Venezuela border controversy
President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has urged Guyanese to rely on official releases from the government and state entities regarding any information concerning the Guyana/Venezuela border controversy.
Speaking at a press conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Saturday, President Ali highlighted the harmful effects of sensational posting.
The head of state’s assurance comes in light of the litany of misinformation and misrepresentation swirling in the public domain as it relates to the border controversy case.
“We’ve had many instances of doctored videos, videos from 15 years ago, videos from some other part of Venezuela being circulated, claiming to be occurring on the borders,” he said.
The president noted a specific instance of fear-mongering, where Guyanese have been made aware of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) engaging with several communities, and this has been publicly misconstrued as impending disaster preparedness measures.
President Ali clarified, “We had the CDC conducting an exercise to bring disaster awareness to the population, but disaster in this context because of the situation was read to be an incoming disaster. But this was identifying areas for shelter in the event of a natural disaster, as we normally do. We have asked the CDC to go across all of Guyana to ensure that we build out the infrastructure to support our disaster management.”
The government’s approach in addressing the issue is grounded on a commitment to maintaining a zone of peace and seeking out a lawful and peaceful resolution. Hence, heavy focus is placed on diplomacy and increasing public awareness.
The government wants Guyana to present a cohesive and united front on this issue, and to achieve this vision, the public will be gainfully engaged in several activities intended to assert the country’s position.
President Ali assured that his government is also actively engaging international partners. At a ministerial level, the foreign affairs ministry is in talks with foreign ministers, regionally and internationally, regarding the issue, while the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is engaged in an aggressive communication strategy and information exchange within the same scope.
“The commitment given to Guyana is unwavering. The commitment by our development partner is unwavering. We have also seen statements from Venezuela, that they have no interest in a war. We have no interest in engaging in any conflict. Our primary focus is to ensure that this region remains a region of peace. The tireless work we are doing over the last couple of weeks at various levels is not only bearing fruit, but has enabled us to strengthen our relationship with our partners, and enabled us to ensure that our partners are fully aware with every aspect of the Venezuelan controversy,” the president underscored.
The government is confident that the course Guyana is taking will bring success.
Meanwhile, the Guyanese leader appealed to the residents in border communities, to also rely on official channels of communication, responding to concerns raised about these persons being urged to move away from these areas. He assured that this is another instance of sensationalism and fear-mongering, and urged these residents to put their trust in the government.
“We are ensuring that we take all necessary steps. We are taking all actions to ensure that our territorial integrity and sovereignty is protected at all times, even after December 3. We are not taking anything lightly, but we are confident that we will be able to have a situation where our territory is secure, and our integrity and sovereignty is intact. We are not taking anything for granted, and we are putting all systems in place,” he assured.
He said the Guyana Police Force as well as the Guyana Defence Force continue to engage these residents to reassure them of their presence.
“There is absolutely no reason to move from anywhere. The Guyana Defence Force is working very steadily and as I said before I am confident in their ability, the work they are doing and the type of discussions we are having with our partners,” President Ali reiterated.
Public hearings for Guyana’s request for the indication of provisional measures in response to Venezuela’s referendum concluded on Wednesday last.
In the case currently before the court, Guyana is seeking that the court confirm the legal validity and binding effect of the 1899 Arbitral Award regarding the boundary between the then British Guiana and Venezuela.