The Commonwealth group has declared its commitment to Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity following the latest decree by Venezuela’s President Nicholas Maduro, claiming Guyana’s oil rich territorial waters.

In a statement from its United Kingdom Headquarters, the Commonwealth reminded that “we are an association of 53 member states worldwide accounting for one quarter of the United Nations membership. Commonwealth member governments, individually and collectively, are also committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes and to the rule of law.”

 The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Kamalesh Sharma, made the remarks today on his arrival in Guyana.

“There have been recent developments including a claim by a neighbouring country over Guyana’s land and maritime areas, and the Commonwealth has moved swiftly and appropriately in collective solidarity with Guyana,” the Secretary-General said.

According to the statement, all Commonwealth Foreign Ministers have been kept informed of this development. The Secretary-General has convened the Commonwealth Ministerial Group on Guyana, which is now scheduled to meet in New York in September. This situation affecting Guyana has also been placed on the agenda of the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting, which is also taking place in New York in September.

At the last Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, held in Sri Lanka in 2013, the Commonwealth leaders, “…reaffirmed their unequivocal support for the maintenance and preservation of Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

“The Commonwealth remains steadfast in its support for the Government and people of Guyana,” the Secretary-General concluded.

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