Venezuela border controversy: Canada renews support for Guyana; calls for peaceful, diplomatic settlement

The Canadian Government has reiterated its support for Guyana in the ongoing border controversy with Venezuela, calling for the peaceful and diplomatic settlement of the decades-old issue between the two South American nations.
Canada’s Minister of International Development, Ahmed Hussen, made these statements Sunday morning during the historic signing of a CAD120 million Sovereign Loan Programme agreement between the Guyana and Canadian Governments.
Minister Hussen declared, “We in Canada and the Canadian Government [are] concerned with the ongoing tensions between Guyana and Venezuela. We stand with the Guyanese people; we stand with the Government, and we call for the respect of international law. Please rest assured… that Canada supports Guyana’s territorial integrity, and as in any dispute, we hope for a peaceful and diplomatic settlement to this matter.”
The Canadian Minister is in Guyana on a two-day visit.
Earlier on Sunday morning, President Dr Irfaan Ali held a bilateral meeting with Minister Hussen and his team, including Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Mark Berman at State House in Georgetown.

Discussions between the officials centred on strengthening and expanding bilateral relations between Guyana and Canada.
As the current Chair of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), President Ali also discussed how Canada could expand its relationship with the entire region.
Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance and Public Service, Dr Ashni Singh; Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud; Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Sonia Parag; Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond, and Director of Presidential Affairs, Marcia Nadir-Sharma were also part of the meeting.
Venezuela continues to lay claim to more than two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass, Essequibo, and a portion of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in which almost 11 billion barrels of oil have been discovered over the past eight years, and in which oil production activities are ongoing.
In 2018, Guyana moved to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) after exhausting all means of negotiation with Venezuela, including the good office process. Guyana is seeking a final and binding ruling on the October 3, 1899 Arbitral Award to settle the longstanding border controversy.
The Spanish-speaking nation had challenged Guyana’s move to settle the matter, but the ICJ ruled in December 2020 that it has jurisdiction to entertain the application for a final settlement. Having rejected both of Venezuela’s preliminary objections, the ICJ has set April 8, 2024, as the time limit for the filing of a Counter-Memorial by Venezuela.
Tensions between Guyana and Venezuela have been simmering since then, but escalated late last year when the Nicolás Maduro Government held a referendum on December 3, 2023, to annex Guyana’s Essequibo region.
Following the referendum, President Maduro subsequently announced a series of actions including, among other things, issuing identification cards to Guyanese living in Essequibo and issuing licences for mining and other activities in Guyana’s Essequibo County.
Given Venezuela’s threatening posture, a historic face-to-face Caricom/CELAC/Brazil-brokered meeting was held on December 14, 2023, between Presidents Ali and Maduro in St Vincent and the Grenadines, geared towards maintaining peace in the Region.
The two South American leaders came to several agreements, including that Guyana and Venezuela, directly or indirectly, would not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstance, including those consequential to any existing controversies between the two States.
Even as Guyana reaffirms its commitment to the judicial process before the World Court, it was also agreed that a Joint Commission of Foreign Ministers and Technicians of Guyana and Venezuela would be established and meet on behalf of the two Presidents in Brazil to continue peace dialogue.
That first meeting of the Joint Commission of Foreign Ministers and Technicians was held on January 25 in Brasilia. Guyana’s delegation was led by Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd, who described the meeting as a “good start” to creating a better future of good neighbourliness for the next generation.
Amid this tension over the border controversy, President Maduro last week formally accredited Dr Richard Van West-Charles as Guyana’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Georgetown said in a statement that during the ceremony in Caracas last Tuesday, “President Maduro requested Ambassador Van West-Charles to convey a message of high regard to President Ali, stating his great respect for the President and the people of Guyana.”
Meanwhile, only recently, President Ali recommitted to not only defending Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity but also maintaining friendly relations with its neighbours.
The Head of State made these comments on Thursday evening during his address to the nation at the flag-raising ceremony to commemorate Guyana’s 54th Republic Day Anniversary.
“We, the custodians of the Republic, must zealously guard our nation’s sovereignty, promote its development, and safeguard democracy. A threat to our territorial integrity poses a direct challenge to our sovereignty, because it stakes a claim upon the settled geographical boundaries that define our nation… We shall never surrender an inch of our territory or cede national sovereignty. A threat to national development undermines the prosperity and well-being of our people.
“Our Republic threatens no one. We eschew aggression. We are a peaceful nation. We settle disputes peacefully and repose our trust in international law. We seek friendly relations with our neighbours. We want peace and stability. We are for peace and stability and our investment is to ensure peace and stability remains in our region. Our investment is to ensure peace and stability is the foundation through which neighbourly love is built. Peace and stability are the foundation through which goodwill is built,” the Head of State contended. (G8)