Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves fears the current territorial dispute between Guyana and Venezuela has the potential to develop into a serious crisis in the Caribbean region as he says there must be patience, wisdom and mature judgment in the matter.
Prime Minister Gonsalves spoke on the event describing it as a difficult issue. He notes that CARICOM historically has been supportive of the integrity of Guyana’s boundaries as defined in their own Constitution.
Prime Minister Gonsalves says CARICOM has supported the resolution of the dispute through the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which has already ruled that it has jurisdiction over the matter. In January 2024 the matter should be heard.
However, Dr Gonsalves says it is unclear if Venezuela is going to appear before the court as on the preliminary issue about jurisdiction, Venezuela said the court does not have jurisdiction.
