Guyana President Agrees To Meet His Venezuela Counterpart

Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, has agreed to meet Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The announcement on Ali’s Facebook page came amid an ongoing border controversy with Venezuela. The complete statement appears below: President of Guyana, His Excellency Mohamed Irfaan Ali, was contacted by leaders representing CELAC, Brazil and several bilateral partners, encouraging dialogue with the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Last evening, in the emergency meeting of the Heads of Government of CARICOM, the Heads urged President Ali to explore the possibility of a meeting with President Maduro in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. President Ali reiterated that Guyana’s land boundary is not up for discussion, as it is currently before the ICJ and, when adjudicated, will be fully respected by Guyana. The President, on numerous occasions, has made it explicitly clear that the case before the ICJ will not be an issue for bilateral discussions. President Ali was approached today by the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines on a meeting with President Maduro on Thursday in St. Vincent & the Grenadines to be observed by Brazil, CARICOM, and a UN Under-Secretary General. President Ali has since...