- Brazilian president will not attend talks in St Vincent
According to Brazilian media sources, President Luis Inacio ‘Lula’ Da Silva will not attend Thursday’s meeting in St Vincent and the Grenadines between Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali and his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, to discuss the two nations’ ongoing border dispute.
Celso Amorim, Da Silva’s foreign relations advisor, will represent him at the negotiations mediated by the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Amorim flew to Caracas earlier this month, according to Brazilian media, and has been the principal coordinator in the reopening of diplomatic relations between Brazil and Venezuela since Da Silva won a third term in October last year.
According to one media outlet, Amorim would be in charge of sending different messages to the two countries involved in the territorial dispute in Lula’s absence, and that he would indicate that Brazil will not support unilateral measures that lead to an escalation of the situation, taking a firm stance against the conflict.
Following the December 3 referendum, in which the Venezuelan government claimed that at least 95% of Venezuelans voted in favour of Caracas annexing the Essequibo in Guyana, President Maduro declared the Essequibo to be Venezuela’s new military zone.
He also encouraged foreign businessmen who have received concessions from Guyana to depart within three months, and said a census would be performed to offer Essequibo locals citizenship and Venezuelan identification cards.
Former Commonwealth Secretary General Sir Shridath Ramphal stated on Monday that “false expectations should not be encouraged” in the two presidents’ talks.
Sir Shridath, Guyana’s co-Agent before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), stated in a statement that it is critical that the boundaries of the talks in Kingstown be appreciated.
He stated that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has been “the most vocal and consistent supporter of Guyana in the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy” for decades. “Never was that support more visible than when its Heads of Government convened in that context on December 8, 2023.” They didn’t flinch. “The CARICOM leaders reiterated their positions on the most critical aspects of the current situation,” he stated.
