Canadian Minister of International Development, Ahmed Hussen on Sunday reaffirmed his country’s support for Guyana in the face of its territorial controversy with Venezuela.
At the historic signing of a sovereign loan programme at the residence of the Canadian High Commissioner, Hussen said “The Government of Canada is concerned with the ongoing tensions between Guyana and Venezuela and stand with the government and we call for the respect of international law”.
The Minister continued “I want Guyana to be assured that Canada supports the country’s territorial integrity. And, as in any dispute, we look forward to a peaceful and diplomatic settlement to this matter”.
Hussen was here for several high-level engagements with the Government and other partners including the 46th regular meeting of the conference of heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Last year, Canada in a statement said that it had been closely monitoring recent developments following the consultative referendum on the Essequibo region that took place in Caracas on December 3, 2023, and has been deeply concerned by growing tensions in the territorial dispute between the two South American states.
“Canada salutes the diplomatic efforts of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) members in hosting a dialogue between the presidents of Guyana and Venezuela in Argyle, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, on Thursday, December 14, as well as the mediation role played by Brazil and the UN Secretary-General António Guterres”, the statement read.
Ottawa said in the statement that it reaffirms its support for Guyana’s sovereignty and seeks a peaceful and diplomatic settlement of the dispute at the International Court of Justice.
It also acknowledged the dialogue in Argyle as a productive step toward maintaining peace and security in the region and commended all efforts to keep channels of communication open regarding the situation.
Tensions between Guyana and Venezuela reached a boiling point last year after a Venezuelan referendum was held on December 3rd seeking the annexation of Guyana’s Essequibo. The ensuing friction led to the convening of the high-level Argyle meeting on December 14 in St Vincent and the Grenadines, where both President Irfaan Ali and President Nicolas Maduro were present and which yielded a declaration in which both countries eschewed the use of force or threat of the use of force in resolving issues between them.
Notwithstanding the Argyle Declaration, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published satellite images generated by Maxar Technologies showing reinforcements as recent as last month on Ankoko Island in the Cuyuni River. Half of Ankoko belonged to this country but was seized by Venezuela in 1966 just after Guyana gained independence.
Recent satellite imagery shows the boats arrived sometime between January 18 and 22 this year at Venezuela’s main Atlantic coast guard station in Guiria, which faces Trinidad and Tobago, just days ahead of the Joint Commission meeting in Brazil which had been mandated by the Argyle Declaration.
