In a closed session, the UN Security Council discusses the crisis between Venezuela and Guyana world

The United Nations Security Council, on Tuesday (9), behind closed doors, discussed the territorial dispute over the Essequibo region, an oil and resource-rich region belonging to Guyana, but claimed by Venezuela.

The meeting in the UN Security Council was attended by the representative of Venezuela and the Ambassador of Guyana, Caroline Rodriguez Birkett. At the conclusion of the session, which lasted more than two hours, she said that she was satisfied: “We can say that the majority of the council supports territorial integrity.”

The ambassador also said that there is a pattern in the steps taken by Venezuela and one should not wait until there is an invasion of the territory. According to the diplomat, the Venezuelan representative said at the meeting that his country “will not invade Guyana.” “But I think if your actions say one thing and your words say another, then we should be concerned,” he added.

The 15 members of the Security Council must issue a statement setting out the main points of the meeting. “.

Guyana called for the meeting

At the request of the President of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, on April 5, whose country is currently a member of this UN forum, the meeting addressed “threats to international peace and security” based on the law passed by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on April 3. /Nissan, who considers Essequibo a new state for his nation.

For Guyana, this law is a “flagrant violation” of international law.

In his letter, Ali stated that the new Venezuelan law “reinforces Venezuela’s intention” to annex more than two-thirds of Guyana’s sovereign territory and turn it into part of that country.

According to the Guyanese authorities, this law violates the interim measures taken by the International Court of Justice on December 1, 2023.

In 2018, Guyana appealed to the International Court of Justice to ratify a report from 1899 in which the current border between the two countries was determined..

• Commitment to refrain from words or actions that lead to escalation of the conflict – a measure that Maduro has now violated
• Resolving disputes in accordance with international law.
• Commitment to the pursuit of peaceful coexistence and unity in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Knowledge about the border controversy and the decision of the International Court of Justice on this matter.
• – Continuing dialogue on outstanding issues.
• Establish a joint committee with foreign ministers to address mutually agreed upon issues.
• The agreement also stipulated holding a new meeting to discuss the matter in Brazil.

Essequibo Territory has been disputed between Venezuela and Guyana for more than 100 years. Since the 19th century, the region has been under the control of the United Kingdom, which gained control of Guyana under an agreement with the Netherlands. The region represents 70% of today's territory of Guyana, and 125,000 people live there.

In Venezuela, the region is called Guiana Esquipa. It is a place full of dense forests, and in 2015 oil was discovered in the area.

It is estimated that Guyana's reserves amount to 11 billion barrels, the most significant portion of which is located offshore, i.e. in the sea near Essequibo. Because of oil, Guyana is the fastest growing country in South America in recent years.

Guyana and Venezuela both claim their rights to the territory based on international documents:

Guyana claims to own the territory due to a report dating back to 1899, made in Paris, where the current borders were established. At that time, Guyana was a territory of the United Kingdom.

Venezuela claims that the territory belongs to it because it states so in an agreement signed in 19666 With the United Kingdom itself, prior to Guyana's independence, the arbitration award was annulled and a basis for a negotiated solution was laid.