- Gonsalves writes Ali & Maduro on controversial photo
Ralph Gonsalves, the Prime Minister of St. Vincent, said he was unaware that he was standing behind a floral Venezuelan map that included Essequibo when he posed for a photo at a Venezuelan embassy reception in December 2022.
Venezuela has claimed Guyana’s Essequibo area for years and is expanding its claims.
The photo of Gonsalves and the map of Venezuela with Guyana’s Essequibo area circulated on Venezuelan social media over the weekend.
In a letter to President Irfaan Ali and Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro, Gonsalves said he had never seen the photo before and that someone from the Venezuelan embassy in St. Vincent placed the floral map depiction in front of him and other officials during a photo shoot. He ignored the depiction because he assumed it was about Simon Bolivar, who was being honoured at the event.
Gonsalves lamented that his harmless mistake is being used to incite animosity.
He said he knows the sensitivities around the controversial issue and that leaders must stay calm during flare-ups.
After speaking to President Irfaan Ali and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, Gonsalves feels the issue has been resolved amid past ghosts.
Guyana did not formally address the issue, but senior officials asked the St. Vincent Prime Minister for clarification. Regional leaders also wanted information.
In the border case before the International Court, provisional rulings warned Venezuela not to disrupt the status quo in Guyana’s Essequibo in early December.
