- External actors can hamper peace between Guyana – Venezuela
- Guyana should ‘sleep better’ after Argyle Declaration: Gonsalves
Prime Minister of St Vincent Ralph Gonsalves, in seeking to provide an answer to a question raised by a radio host on Sunday about the EXXOMOBIL statement on December 12, in which it was stated that Exxon will stay in Guyana for the long term despite the territorial dispute with Venezuela, said he has to be careful how he responds to questions of those kinds due to his position as an interlocutor in the ongoing border dispute; however, he would make a general comment and not directly respond to the question.
According to Gonsalves, Guyana cannot compete militarily with Venezuela and there are risks from outside parties that could disrupt peace.
“Guyana is no match militarily for Venezuela, and if a country feels or felt because the issue was raised before the Argyle Accord, I don’t know what is still the feeling in this regard. But it is a natural thing if you are weaker and you feel threatened that you will seek support from whichever source you think may provide you with the requisite support to help you defend yourself.”.
“The question of a global corporation participating whether in Venezuela or in Guyana tells you the risks that are attendant: that third parties have the potential, if their interests are not adequately protected, that there may be activities generated by external actors that may be inimical to peace and security. And that’s all the more reason why we have the propositions of no threat, no use of force, and that this matter must be solved through international law.”.
“These are very important propositions, and I’m sure that because of the Argyle declaration that if somebody says something in Caracas or Georgetown and it is misunderstood by the other party, they will seek out an interlocutor, and I expect that I will be sought out so that the other side can see what exactly they meant, because sometimes you may get reports that may be garbled, which may be summary reports. There may be some things that may be said that ought not to have been said but that can be put in context, clarified, or maybe just looked beyond it.”.
Gonsalves said that beyond ideology, beyond anything else in the world, a human being’s first instinct is self-preservation, and re-iterated that he was answering the host question in a general and philosophical sense.
Gonsalves stated on Sunday that Guyana, given its comparatively smaller population and military, can now experience a sense of relief ( sleep better) knowing that both parties have reached an agreement to refrain from using or indicating the use of force in order to resolve the border conflict.
