Addressing a financing conference for development in Ethiopia today, President David Granger made a veiled reference to continuing threats by Venezuela to Guyana’s territorial integrity, according to a copy of his address released by GINA.
Speaking in the presence of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Granger said:
“Guyana is a small state that is committed to sustainable development. Ours has been a long and arduous quest to secure a good life for all our people. Our experiences have reinforced our resolve to build a more resilient economy, a more inclusionary democracy and a more cohesive society. We are committed to overcoming the common enemies of our people – crime, disease, ignorance and poverty. We share the objectives of this conference for sustainable development.
“Security and stability are indispensable to sustainable development and the pursuit of prosperity. We resent, reject and resist the threat or use of force or any unilateral coercive attempt by one state against another in order to frustrate the legitimate aspirations of our people to enjoy a good life. The Charter of the United Nations and the tenets of international law must be guaranteed to all states and peoples in the quest for secure livelihoods and sustainable development.
“Guyana, on the strength of this conviction, therefore, emphasises the primacy of international cooperation even as we embrace fully our primary responsibility for national development.”
Granger’s statement is a sign of Guyana’s intention to use every available international forum to highlight Caracas’s continuing attempts to deny this country its use of its resources.
Venezuela has issued two maritime decrees seeking to establish authority over Guyana’s Atlantic waters. Georgetown has rebuffed the decrees and has signalled it will up the pressure against Venezuela.
