Venezuela, Guyana agree not to 'use force' to settle land dispute

The presidents of Venezuela and Guyana pledged after direct talks on Thursday not to resort to force to settle a long-simmering — and recently reheated — territorial dispute over the oil-rich Essequibo region, a joint statement said.

Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro and Guyana's Irfaan Ali shook hands after a two-hour meeting on the Caribbean island nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The two sides agreed that they "will not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances," the statement said.

Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of Saint Vincent read the three-page statement, which included concrete measures to ensure tensions on the ground do not escalate suddenly.

But neither Venezuela nor Guyana agreed on the proper global jurisdiction to settle the territorial dispute over Essequibo, which makes up about two-thirds of Guyana's territory.

Maduro, who has sought to rally support in his nation with the territorial claims, cast the summit as a triumph.

"Excellent day of dialogue!" Maduro posted on X, formerly Twitter. "We did it!"

The two sides pledged to resolve the dispute "in accordance with international law" but noted that while Guyana believes the International Court of Justice is the proper jurisdiction for the matter, Venezuela has rejected the body's recognition over the issue.

Gonsalves said the both Georgetown and Caracas "committed to the pursuance of good neighborliness, peaceful coexistence and the unity of Latin America and the Caribbean."

The statement noted that the two leaders agreed to meet again within three months in Brazil, whose leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was tapped as an interlocutor in the dispute.

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