President of Guyana Irfaan Ali said he will directly address the tense border dispute with Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro at an arranged Thursday meeting in St. Vincent. However, expectations remain measured for significant breakthroughs.
The sit-down was initiated by St. Vincent Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves under the auspices of CARICOM and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). Ali confirmed his attendance in a letter to PM Gonsalves while reiterating firm Guyanese positions.
Ali later spoke about his hopes for a meeting in a video statement
But while talks represent attempted dialogue, President Ali suggested modest ambitions given fundamentally conflicting stances.
Regional leaders are stressing conflict avoidance and hoping peaceful pragmatism carries the day.
The ongoing row concerns Venezuelan territorial claims over the Essequibo region. Recent escalatory actions by Venezuela, including asserting control over Essequibo’s offshore oil, elicited warnings from Guyana.
The meeting comes on the heels of a strong CARICOM statement supporting Guyana’s legal positioning. Ali is expected to press Venezuela to respect ICJ jurisdiction and maintain the disputed territory’s status quo.