On Thursday, President Nicolas Maduro met with his Guyanese counterpart, Irfaan Ali, in Kinsgtown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, to discuss the Guayana Esequiba controversy, which has attracted regional and global attention in expectation of the final statements.

Both leaders came to the capital of Saint Vicent at the invitation of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Community of Caribbean States (CARICOM), Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Both presidents held separate meetings -prior to their two-hour-long face-to-face talks- with the pro tempore presidencies of CELAC and CARICOM, headed by Ralhp Gonsalves and Roosevelt Skerritt, respectively.

The joint statement approved by the heads of State and read to the press by Gonsalves contains 11 items and commitments that contribute to defuse tensions, outline a roadmap to continue dialogue in a short term and make decisions for its vitality.

Maduro and Ali committed themselves to pursuing good neighborliness, peaceful coexistence, and the unity of Latin America and the Caribbean, and agreed to continue dialogue on any other pending issues of mutual importance to the two countries.

They further agreed that any dispute between the States will be resolved in accordance with International Law, including the 1966 Geneva Agreement.

They also agreed that “they will not threaten -either directly or indirectly- or use force against each other in any circumstances,” including those arising from any existing dispute between the two nations.

Likewise, they agreed on immediately establishing a Joint Commission of the Foreign and Technical Ministers of the two States to cope with the mutually agreed matters, and within three months, the Commission will submit an update to the Presidents of Guyana and Venezuela.

In addition, the leaders agreed that both States will refrain, whether in word or deed, from escalating any conflict or disagreement arising from any dispute between them.

In this regard, Caracas and Georgetown will “cooperate to prevent incidents” on the ground that lead to tensions between them, and in case of any such incidents, they will immediately communicate with each other, with CELAC, CARICOM and Lula “to contain them, reverse them and prevent them from recurring.”

“For the avoidance of doubt,” Gonsalves will continue, even after St. Vincent and the Grenadines hands over the pro tempore presidency of CELAC, within the framework of that bloc’s troika plus one, and as well Skerritt as a member of the CARICOM Bureau, the text indicated.

The Venezuelan and Guyanese heads of State agreed on “meeting again in Brazil in the next three months or at another concerted time.”

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