Georgetown, Guyana (CMC) — President David Granger will address Parliament on Thursday amid reports that Venezuela has withdrawn the controversial decree that has heightened the border dispute between the two countries.
Venezuela has also recalled its ambassador here and ordered Foreign Affairs Minister Delcy Rodriguez to comprehensively review diplomatic relation with Guyana.
While Caracas is reported to have withdrawn the May 26 decree that includes all the Atlantic waters off the Essequibo Coast, it has since replaced it with a new one which is to support and justify the actions of the Bolivarian National Armed Force in defending the newly created Integrated Defense Maritime Zones.
Minister of State Joseph Harmon told a news conference that President Granger will “address the issues of the decrees and deliver Guyana’s response to the international community”.
Last week, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders at their annual summit in Barbados reaffirmed the “longstanding, deep and wide-ranging friendship between CARICOM and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela”.
But the regional leaders said they had discussed the Decree and “noted in particular the negative implications which the Decree has for the peace, security and development of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.
“Heads of Government called for adherence to accepted principles of international law in relation to the delineation and delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf in the region. CARICOM states do not accept any unilateral proclamation which is inconsistent with international law.
“They emphasized that CARICOM states have legitimate territorial and maritime entitlements that conform to international law and that must be respected.”