Territorial disputes are heating up, Venezuelan and Guyana presidents meet, will the situation improve?

On December 14, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his Guyanese counterpart Irfaan Ali met in the island nation of Saint Vincent & Grenadines to discuss the long-standing territorial dispute that is currently heating up between the two countries.

Tranh chấp lãnh thổ đang nóng lên, các Tổng thống Venezuela và Guyana gặp mặt, tình hình có cải thiện? (Nguồn: AFp)

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro (right) shakes hands with his Guyanese counterpart Irfaan Ali during a meeting on December 14 in Saint Vincent & Grenadines. (Source: AFp)

Analysts said the two-hour meeting between the two leaders could “de-escalate” tensions but would not achieve significant results in resolving the Essequibo territorial dispute.

There is no official word yet on the outcome of the meeting regarding Venezuela's claim to the oil-rich Essequibo region, which covers more than two-thirds of neighboring Guyana.

However, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines said that Guyana and Venezuela have agreed to avoid any escalation of the conflict amid recent tensions in the Essequibo region.

The Essequibo Territory dispute between Venezuela and Guyana has lasted for more than 100 years.

Tensions between the two countries regarding this territory have increased since December 3, when the Caracas government held a referendum on this issue recently, in which 95% of voters supported the establishment of the "Guayana Esequiba state" in Venezuela.

The tensions prompted the United Nations Security Council to meet behind closed doors to discuss the situation last week, but delegates left the meeting without making a statement.

Meanwhile, many countries have also called on Venezuela and Guyana to reach a peaceful solution to the border dispute between the two South American countries.

Russia said it considered reducing tensions and building trust in relations between Venezuela and Guyana a "top priority," and called on all parties to refrain from any actions that could unbalance the situation and harm each other.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro also asked neighboring Venezuela and Guyana to ease tensions in a territorial dispute in the Essequibo region, and suggested the South American countries form a mediation group.

Meanwhile, also on December 14, several diplomatic sources revealed that the Cuban government has been promoting contact between Venezuela and Guyana for “months” to resolve the conflict in Essequibo.

(according to AFP, Reuters)

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