CARICOM member states committed their “unswerving support” for the maintenance and preservation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guyana when Foreign Affairs Ministers within CARICOM discussed the Guyana-Venezuela controversy at the organisation’s Twenty-Second Meeting of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR).
The COFCOR meeting, which convened in St. George’s, Grenada on May 13-14, was chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Labour of Grenada, C. Peter David, and saw the representation of all member states.
The council duly noted Venezuela’s non-compliance with the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) requirement for the submission of a Counter-Memorial on Jurisdiction to the International Court by April 18, 2019.
The council stressed its support of the judicial process undertaken by the ICJ. Additionally, like the ICJ, the council has much interest in the early resolution of the controversy and restoration of peace and security to the region.
On the situation in Venezuela in particular, the council reaffirmed CARICOM’s stance that “the people of Venezuela must be allowed to determine their own future”.
Further, the council emphasised its commitment to the fundamental principles of “non-interference and non-intervention in the affairs of states, the prohibition of the threat or use of force, respect for sovereignty, and adherence to the rule of law”.
In addition to the Guyana/Venezuela controversy, the foreign ministers in the company of the Secretary-General (SG), Irwin Larocque, discussed a number of issues, including bilateral and multilateral, climate change, blacklisting, and border disputes, among other important matters.
