While staying clear of offering her support for either Guyana or Venezuela in the ongoing territorial controversy, the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley has declared, that Venezuela has been a good sister to her country.

Speaking at her party’s 84^th Conference over the weekend, in Bridgetown, Ms. Mottley said CARICOM has made clear its position on the matter. She did not say if CARICOM’s position is that of her country, but would only say that the average man and woman in her country must know that “what we are facing is not of our own making.”

“CARICOM has spoken, but equally we know that Venezuela has been a good sister country to us and we pray that therefore that persons will allow maturity to attend all of their actions and conversations,” the Barbados PM said, before traveling to Guyana the next day for the African-Caribbean Forum.

Guyana has been rallying international support as Venezuela has been stepping up its rhetoric and propaganda with the claims to Guyana’s Essequibo region.

Venezuela has planned a referendum in December on the border controversy, in an effort to rally support of its citizens in the ongoing claims of Guyana’s Essequibo.

While Guyana and Barbados share good relations and have signed several bi-lateral agreements, Barbados also share good ties with Venezuela.

Earlier this year, Ms. Mottley, travelled to Caracas, where she held wide-ranging discussions with President Nicolas Maduro.

In July, the two countries signed a number of bi-lateral agreements in the areas of aviation, agriculture, energy and education.

Two weeks ago, Barbados was home to the signing of a historic agreement between Venezuela’s two main political parties aimed at ending the political crisis between both sides and ultimately get US sanctions lifted.

In her party congress address Ms. Mottley said Guyana and Venezuela must ensure that the Caribbean remain a zone of peace.

“I hope that the rhetoric and noise between Venezuela and Guyana does not turn our Caribbean into anything that is not a zone of peace. Because it matters to us that this Caribbean remains a zone of peace and we ask those parties to recognize that their actions go beyond their two countries,” Mottley stated.

The Barbados Prime Minister said it is important for Barbados to craft its future responsibility, as she alluded to the falling oil prices as a result of the Gaza-Israel conflict.

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