Guyana and Venezuela Presidents exchange ‘peace gifts’ at CELAC Summit in SVG

Photo by Office of the President of Guyana.

By Admin. Updated 10:17 a.m., Saturday, March 2, 2024, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana – Dr. Irfaan Ali and the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela – Mr. Nicolas Maduro exchanged gifts in a show of peace at the 8th CELAC Summit.

The Summit was held on Friday, March 1, 2024, at the Sandals Resort being constructed in Buccament, St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).

The exchange was done in the presence of the United Nations Secretary-General – Mr. António Guterres, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines – Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, and other officials present at the event.

The push for peace is the second such move between Dr. Ali and Mr. Maduro to take place in SVG.

In December 2023, both leaders met at the Argyle International Airport for face-to-face talks as tensions grew over Venezuela’s claim of the oil-rich Essequibo region of Guyana. The region makes up two-thirds of Guyana.

The tensions started rising again just after the peace talks when a British warship showed up in waters off Guyana in a show of solidarity with Guyana.

The claim is a historical one.

Read here for a historical background on the issue.

The Venezuela-Guyana dispute has captured the attention of international powers with CARICOM leaders maintaining that this is a region of peace.

The move comes as peace and security was an agenda item of the CELAC summit.

Leaders (and/their representatives) from the 33 CELAC member states met at the resort to carve the collective way forward on issues such as climate change, disaster financing, trade, reformation of the global financial architecture, reparations for slavery and native genocide, peace and security, and other matters.