Ahead of the scheduled talks between Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, India says it is closely monitoring the Guyana-Venezuela border issue as it undergoes examination by the International Court of Justice.

The meeting between the two leaders is expected to take place on Dec 14, in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. During the talks they will be accompanied by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves. Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has also been invited to Thursday’s meeting as an observer.

Adding, “We believe the issue should be resolved peacefully and escalatory steps avoided. We welcome the recent regional diplomatic initiatives on the issue.”

Why in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines?

The regional blocs of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are mediating to bring the parties together.

Guyana is a member country of CARICOM and Venezuela is part of CELAC.

Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Suriname, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, form CARICOM group.

Which countries make up CELAC?

The thirty-three (33) countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are part of CELAC. They are Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, Guatemala, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Guyana, Haiti, Argentina, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Mexico, St. Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela.

What is happening between Guyana and Venezuela?

According to a letter from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, the leaders of both the countries are scheduled to meet later this week amidst a territorial dispute between the two countries.

Why the dispute?

It is over Esequibo. This is a place located in Guyana where recently huge discoveries of offshore oil and gas have been made.

The Guyana President’s Office affirmed Ali’s acceptance of the meeting but clarified that Guyana’s land boundary is not open for discussion. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, who has been invited as an observer, stressed the need for dialogue to prevent unilateral actions that could worsen the situation.

Venezuela has long asserted its claim to Essequibo, arguing the Essequibo River marks a natural border. The territorial dispute heightened in 2015 when ExxonMobil discovered oil off the Essequibo coast. Recently, Venezuelan voters rejected the International Court of Justice’s jurisdiction over the area, supporting the establishment of a new state.

Maduro suggested creating a “Guyana Esequiba” province, but Guyana, administering over two-thirds of Essequibo with 125,000 of its 800,000 citizens, maintains control based on a 1899 arbitration panel decision. As tensions rise, diplomatic efforts become crucial in resolving the longstanding issue and preventing further escalation.