The Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has explained that when he posed for a photograph back in December 2022 at a Venezuelan embassy event in St. Vincent, he was unaware that he was standing behind a floral depiction of the map of Venezuela that included the Essequibo region.

Venezuela has been laying claim to Guyana’s Essequibo region for several years and has been increasing its claims in recent times, triggering a meeting between the Presidents of the two countries that was mediated by the St. Vincent Prime Minister last month.

The photograph with Dr. Gonsalves and the map incorporating Guyana’s Essequibo region into the map of Venezuela started making the rounds on Venezuelan social media pages over the weekend.

In a letter to President Irfaan Ali and Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro, Dr. Gonsalves said he has never seen the photograph before, and explained that while he was at the event taking photographs, someone from the Venezuelan embassy in St. Vincent, placed the floral depiction of the map in front of him and other officials who were posing for photographs. He said he did not look at the depiction since he thought it was related to the late Venezuelan leader, Simon Bolivar who was being celebrated at the event.

He said it is sad that an innocent inadvertence on his part, is now being used to drum up, unnecessarily, antipathy of some kind or the other.

He said he understands all the emotions involved in the controversial issue, noting that while from time to time there will be flare ups, leaders must maintain a patience and calm.

The St. Vincent Prime Minister said he has since spoken to President Irfaan Ali and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on the issue and he hopes that the issue has now been laid to rest among assorted ghosts from the past.

The Guyana Government did not officially respond to the issue, but senior Government officials sought explanations from the St. Vincent Prime Minister. Other regional leaders also sought information on the issue.

During the meeting between President Irfaan Ali and the Venezuelan President in St. Vincent back in December, a Venezuelan military aircraft was spotted on the tarmac of the airport in St. Vincent bearing a Venezuelan map that also included Guyana’s Essequibo region.

The International Court in early December issued provisional orders in the border case before the Court, warning Venezuela about taking any action that would change the status quo of what exists in Guyana’s Essequibo.

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