In the absence of reconciliation, this already looks like appeasement. Venezuelan Presidents Nicolas Maduro and Guyanese Irfaan Ali exchanged gifts on Friday March 1 during a meeting at the Caribbean Community (Caricom) summit, a gesture of detente in the sensitive Essequibo issue. This oil-rich territory, administered by Guyana and claimed by Venezuela, has been at the center of strong tensions between the two countries, particularly in recent months.
The two heads of state had already lowered the temperature in December in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, a small Caribbean country. This is where again on Friday, Irfaan Ali offered rum to Nicolas Maduro, who gave him in exchange a basket of products from his country.
“We want peace, we want prosperity for our neighbors and for the whole region,” declared the Guyanese president during Caricom, during a more friendly meeting than during the December agreement.
Arrive at “a healthy, peaceful and diplomatic solution”
“Love and peace,” Mr. Maduro responded Friday. “I hope that the good relations that have been established will deepen” to achieve “a healthy, peaceful and diplomatic solution to the differences we have had since the 19th century,” added the leader.
The long-standing dispute between Caracas and Georgetown resurfaced after the launch of oil tenders by Guyana in September 2023, then the referendum organized in response on December 3 in Venezuela on the attachment of the Essequibo. Although the two countries have since pledged not to use force, bilateral tensions have been reignited on a few occasions.