Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), Ralph Gonsalves, who is serving as the principal interlocutor between Guyana and Venezuela as part of the December 2023 Argyle Declaration, on Wednesday emphasised the need for the upholding of peace in the CARICOM and Latin America Region.
Gonsalves is one of the principal interlocutors in the Argyle Declaration which was crafted at the conclusion of the historic dialogue between the presidents of Venezuela and Guyana on December 14, 2023, in which both parties signaled their commitment to Latin America and the Caribbean remaining a Zone of Peace.
Speaking during a radio programme in SVG, PM Gonsalves recalled the recent incursion of a Venezuelan Naval vessel into Guyana waters, for which he was contacted to communicate between the two countries.
“First of all, we had to ensure there was a peace and a calm and that there be no provocation,” he noted.
“The Argyle Declaration and the mechanism has therein assisted in keeping the peace and lessening tension,” Gonsalves added.
He added that such tensions have the potential to escalate to cause harm to people, property and the region. “We have to have peace…in that kind of tense situation, anything can happen and matters spiral completely out of control and next thing you know there is a conflagration, military operations and so on and so forth. You don’t need an imagination to know how that will go… It doesn’t require imagination to [know] the turmoil that can be caused in the Caribbean and Latin America and other hemisphere, so the Argyle Declaration works,” the Prime Minister said.
“I take my responsibilities under the Argyle Declaration seriously. I’m fully aware of the delicate balance we must maintain between both countries, and I will continue to work closely with all parties involved,” he added.
Guyana and Venezuela through the Argyle Declaration declared that either party will not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances, including those consequential to any existing controversies between the two States. They further committed to good neighborliness, peaceful coexistence, and the unity of Latin America and the Caribbean, and to refrain from escalating any conflict or disagreement whether by words or deeds, among others.
According to Dr. Gonsalves, the parties still have to meet on the matter to avoid a repetition since it “is not the first time since Argyle that matters have had to be muted by us.”
The Guyana Government has since sent a formal protest to Venezuela over the recent developments.
Guyana reminded that all the activities which the Government of Guyana has authorised to be undertaken in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) are entirely within the maritime areas appurtenant to the sovereign coastal territory of Guyana, as defined by the Arbitral Award of 1899.
The United States, US, OAS, and Commonwealth have issued statements in support of Guyana.
On 1 March, at approximately 07:00hrs, Venezuelan naval vessel ABV Guaiqueiri PO-11-IMO 469552 sailed approximately 700 metres in Guyana’s EEZ near the Prosperity FPSO.
The Venezuelan naval vessel communicated threateningly via radio communication that Prosperity was operating in Venezuela’s EEZ, before continuing in a southwestern direction towards other FPSOs, to which it delivered the same message.
During the radio programme, Gonsalves pointed out that the area where the incident unfolded is “undoubtedly under Guyana’s jurisdiction.”
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