KINGSTOWN, St Vincent (CMC) – St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves has arrived in Venezuela for talks with President Nicolas Maduro as tensions rise between the South American country and Guyana over the disputed Essequibo region.

He arrived there from Georgetown where he had held talks with President Irfaan Ali.

A government statement said that Gonsalves, who serves as an interlocur, based on the Argyle Agreement signed between the two countries here in December 2023, is meeting Maduro later on Tuesday.

It said that Prime Minister Gonsalves spoke with President Ali on Monday, urging calm and restraint and for both parties to return to diplomacy.

According to the statement, he is reminding both leaders “of the Argyle Declaration” of which they both signed onto.

“Dr Gonsalves also cautioned that an escalation into open conflict could devastate both nations, economically and socially and destablise the entire Latin America and Caribbean region, potentially leaving us with a humanitarian and refugee problem,” the statement said.

Gonsalves is “advising both parties to resolve the matter so it does not lead to any conflict,” recalling that after signing the Argyle Agreement, the “leaders had then reiterated their commitment to Latin America and the Caribbean remaining a Zone of Peace”.

The latest flare-up between the two countries came earlier this month when Guyana alerted the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the international community to the presence of a Venezuelan naval vessel that was near its oil assets for about four hours.

Since then, the United States, France, CARICOM, the Commonwealth as well as the Organization of American States (OAS) have all called on Venezuela to not engage in further provocation by threatening ExxonMobil’s Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel.

But Venezuela has dismissed comments made by President Ali, saying it “categorically repudiates the baseless remarks” of the country’s leader, whom it said “lies brazenly when he claims that units of the Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela are violating the maritime territory of Guyana”.

Guyana and Venezuela are before the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning the Arbitral Award of October 3, 1899, with the ICJ warning Caracas against the “annexation” of Essequibo, an oil-rich region that makes up about two-thirds of Guyana and is home to 125,000 of its 800,000 citizens.

The case, which was filed by Guyana in March 2018, seeks the court’s decision on the validity of the Arbitral Award which finally determined the land boundary between the two countries. The court has already ruled that it has jurisdiction over the controversy and will decide the issue on the merits of the case.

Last week, Guyana called on the ICJ to block Venezuela from engaging in electoral activities in the Essequibo region even as the neighbouring countries have a pending border case before the judicial body.

“Guyana informed the Court that the planned Venezuelan elections are scheduled to take place on May 25, and would inevitably be preceded by preparatory acts, including acts within Guyana’s Essequibo region, affecting the Guyanese population and Guyana’s sovereignty over its territory.

“Therefore, in order to preserve its rights, Guyana is requesting that the Court order Venezuela to refrain from any acts within or affecting its sovereign territory, including the Essequibo region,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Venezuela, based on a so-called referendum, has included Guyana’s Essequibo Region, as part of its official map. The Government of Venezuela now plans to hold elections for a Governor and Legislative Council, among other areas in the Essequibo Region.

Earlier this year, President Maduro and the chairman of the National Electoral Council, Elvis Amoroso announced their intention to conduct elections in the Essequibo.