With tensions at an all-time high between Guyana and Venezuela due to Venezuela’s increased claims of Guyana’s Essequibo region, the United States has made clear that it stands with Guyana in the ongoing controversy.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken telephoned President Irfaan Ali to reaffirm the United States’ unwavering support for Guyana’s sovereignty.

A release issued by the US State Department noted that Secretary Blinken also reiterated the United States’ call for a peaceful resolution to the dispute and for all parties to respect the 1899 arbitral award determining the land boundary between Venezuela and Guyana, unless, or until, the parties reach a new agreement, or a competent legal body decides otherwise. 

Secretary Blinken and President Ali also discussed the International Court of Justice order issued on December 1, which called for parties to refrain from any action that might aggravate or extend the dispute.

“The Secretary reiterated that the United States looks forward to working closely with Guyana once it assumes its non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council in January 2024.  The two leaders concluded the call by agreeing upon the importance of maintaining a peaceful and democratic Western Hemisphere,” the release from the state department said.

The conversation with the US Secretary of State followed President Irfaan Ali’s vow to intensify engagements with Guyana’s international partners, after Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro announced measures that he plans to take, claiming Guyana’s Essequibo.

Over the past two days, President Ali has appeared on major US and international news networks including CNN and CBS News, Aljazeera and BBC World News, to raise awareness of the ongoing border issue and Venezuela’s acts of aggression.

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