Pres. Ali to assess if meeting with Maduro is in Guyana’s national security interest – Jagdeo 

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday said while Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro has indicated an interest in meeting with Guyana, plans have not been made for such an engagement.

“I don’t think currently there’s any plans to meet that has been finalised,” he stated at his weekly press conference.

Jagdeo pointed out that the reason for the meeting needs to be clarified before a determination is made.

“That has to be assessed against what he wants to meet on and also whether it is good for our country and our national security interest. The President will make that assessment,” the Vice President noted.

Maduro made the call for a meeting days after a Venezuelan naval vessel entered Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and communicated with Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels operating there.

Venezuela has also announced plans to hold an election in Essequibo – Guyana’s territory – on May 25, 2025, to elect a governor and other leaders.

Guyana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has filed in the Registry of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) a Request for the indication of provisional measures in the case concerning Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela). Guyana is asking the World Court to order Venezuela to refrain from any acts within or affecting its sovereign territory, including the Essequibo region.

Guyana informed the Court that the planned Venezuelan elections would inevitably be preceded by preparatory acts, including acts within Guyana’s Essequibo region, affecting the Guyanese population and Guyana’s sovereignty over its territory.

Presidents Ali and Maduro first met in December 2023 where they signed onto the Argyle Declaration, in which both parties signaled their commitment to Latin America and the Caribbean remaining a Zone of Peace.