GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — Guyana says it will seek clarification from Suriname on a recent statement made by President Desi Bouterse regarding the New River Triangle area which both countries have been claiming on and off for decades.

Surinamese media last week reported President Bouterse as saying that the maritime border issue with Guyana is back on the agenda.

But, speaking at a news conference, President David Granger said he had seen the reports and will meet with his foreign affairs minister this weekend before the minister seeks official clarification from the Surinamese envoy.

“We are aware of the historical claims that Suriname has made to the New River but this is not the time or the place to advance the claim,” Granger told reporters Friday.

Guyana’s position with regards the New River Triangle has always been made very clear, that the area is part of Guyana’s territory, and Granger said that issue has long been settled.

In 2007, the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea ruled in Guyana’s favour after gun boats forced a CGX rig out of Guyana’s waters.

Granger told reporters that states cannot just convene a meeting of their Parliament and change an internationally recognised boundary.

Suriname’s recent claim came just over a month after President Bouterse, in his inauguration speech, stated that it was good news that Paramaribo was part of a region where peace reigns.

He noted then that dialogue and regional consultation should be used as mechanisms for resolving differences and conflicts.

Last week, President Granger returned from the United Nations where he addressed the General Assembly and raised his concern about another other border issue with Venezuela.