2023-12-14 20:38:12
The presidents of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, have begun, after 2:00 p.m. local time (6:00 p.m. GMT), the meeting scheduled for this Thursday in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, where they will address the dispute that They maintain their respective countries through Guayana Esequiba, a territory of about 160 thousand square kilometers.
Previously, shortly after arriving in the host country, the leaders held meetings with leaders of the Community of Caribbean States (Caricom) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac), promoters of the meeting, after several weeks of tension between the nations in conflict.
Both meetings took place behind closed doors, with a short period of time for the press to capture a few seconds of the meeting, after which the conversations began, the details of which are unknown, for now.
The controversy escalated after Venezuela approved on December 3 in a unilateral referendum to annex the disputed area.under the control of Georgetown, and the Maduro Government ordered the settlement of a military division near the area in dispute, without incursions at the moment, as well as the modification of the official map of Venezuela, to which Guayana Esequiba was annexed.
Given this panorama, the concern of several countries in the region increased due to fear of an escalation of war, as a result of the decisions made by Venezuela after the unilateral consultation.
With the aim of curbing tension and avoiding individual actions, the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Celac, with the support of Caricom and the UN, proposed the meeting to the parties in conflict, which is taking place carried out five days after the proposal.
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