CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuela has denounced the visit of Britain’s Under Secretary of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO, David Rutley, to Guyana on Monday, insisting that the border dispute regarding the ownership of the Essequibo region will be resolved directly between Caracas and Georgetown.
Venezuela Foreign Minister, Yván GilThe Essequibo region makes up about two-thirds of Guyana and is home to 125,000 of the country’s 800,000 citizens.
In a statement posted on his X account, formerly Twitter, Venezuela’s Foreign Minister, Yván Gil, wrote n English “the former invading and enslaving empire, which illegally occupied the territory of Guayana Esequiba and acted in a skillful and sneaky manner against the interests of Venezuela, insists on intervening in a territorial controversy that they themselves generated”.
Gil said that the controversy would be resolved directly between Venezuela and Guyana, adding “the only valid action of the United Kingdom will be the recognition of its responsibility before international law and the obligations derived from the Geneva Agreement of 1966.
“We will stop the new filibustering that seeks to destabilise the region,” he added.
Rutley, who met with Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali, reaffirmed Britain’s support for Guyana’s territorial integrity.
He told reporters that London is working to get more of its partners to similarly support Guyana and call out Venezuela’s “unacceptable” actions.
“We have been working very closely with other nations, bilateral allies, like-minded countries and also international bodies.
“I’ve been speaking to Brazil, the Commonwealth, other countries on the United Nations Security Council, like Ecuador, and working with other countries, like Colombia, to understand where they are and also to encourage them to speak up and highlight how important it is to respect the territorial integrity but also to highlight how unacceptable and unjustified Venezuela’s actions are,” Rutley told reporters ahead of the deliberations with President Ali.
A government statement issued following the talks in Georgetown said that the “discussions focused on the continuation and expansion of the relationship between the UK and Guyana, especially in areas of sustainable and economic development and security”.
It did not elaborate, stating also that the meeting was attended by the FCDO’s Americas Director, Robert Tinline and the United Kingdom’s High Commissioner to Guyana, Jane Miller.as well as Prime Minister retired Brigadier, Mark Phillips, Senior Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh aswell as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd.
Rutley told reporters that a “whole range of different issues” were discussed but a key focus was on bolstering diplomatic efforts amid the border controversy. He also said it is important for international partners to press Venezuela to honour commitments made in the Argyle declaration last week.
The Joint Declaration of Argyle for Dialogue and Peace between Guyana and Venezuela, issued following talks in St. Vincent and the Grenadines between President Ali and President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, also indicated that the two countries agreed that “any controversies” between them will be resolved in accordance with international law, including the Geneva Agreement dated February 17, 1966”
