Guayana: secretario de gabinete ratifica que tensión con Venezuela se resolverá por vía diplomática
Guyana-Venezuela tensions… Diplomacy remains ‘adequate’ solution – Cabinet Secretary
IN the face of recent tensions between Guyana and neighbouring Venezuela, Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon is adamant that diplomacy remains the best solution to address the countries’ difference in positions.The latest bone of contention is the current Administration’s decision to give the USA-based Exxon Mobil a concession to drill an exploratory well for oil in Essequibo coastal waters.
The presence of Exxon Mobile Deep Water Rig, currently in Guyana, was objected to by the Venezuelan Government, but this was subsequently rebuffed by the Government of Guyana via a note verbale to the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry warning that it must desist from taking any actions that could only result in stymieing Guyana’s development and contravening international law.
DRILLING SOON
The company is continuing its operations in earnest and should be ready soon to commence drilling. This was confirmed by Country Manager Jeff Simon who told the Guyana Chronicle yesterday that despite the utterances by the Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry, the company is contracted by the Guyana Government. He explained that the oil company will not be engaging in any Government to Government matters and will continue to execute on what it was contracted to deliver.
Dr Luncheon, yesterday, during the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing held at Office of the President, made it clear that no efforts will be made to injure the mutually beneficial bilateral agreements that exist between the countries.
He added that the relations, despite the years-long controversy over the Essequibo Region, have been healthy.
According to him, under the leadership of Venezuela’s late former president, Hugo Chavez, and Guyana’s former president, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, bilateral relations have advanced on the basis that specific mechanisms are in place to ensure that the controversy does not impact unnecessarily on fruitful bilateral relations.
The Venezuelan rice authorities recently confirmed their continuing trade relations with Guyana via an agreement that was inked to facilitate shipments of close to 200,000 tonnes of rice and paddy soon.
Venezuela is a major importer of Guyana’s rice, which it has been buying at preferential prices since the signing of an agreement in 2009. The long-awaited rice deal was first initiated by Dr Jagdeo, who held talks with Chavez at a United Nations Climate Change meeting in New York at that time.
All considered, Dr Luncheon stressed that the latest difference of positions cannot be termed as a worsening of relations between the two countries.
The territorial integrity of the Essequibo region, historically, was pronounced on by the 1966 Geneva Agreement, signed by both countries. The agreement took note of the fact that Venezuela was disputing the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award. While it did not take any position about Venezuela’s claim to Essequibo, it committed the country, as well as Britain and Guyana, to ensure that “any outstanding controversy…should (be) amicably resolved in a manner acceptable to both parties.”
By Vanessa Narine
