Press statement by Minister Mauro Vieira on the First Meeting of the Joint Commission of Foreign Ministers and Technicians of Guyana and Venezuela

The First Meeting of the Joint Commission of Foreign Ministers and Technicians of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was held today at Itamaraty Palace. The Joint Commission of Foreign Ministers was created by the Argyle Declaration for Dialogue and Peace between Guyana and Venezuela, adopted last December 14th in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Its aim is to address matters as mutually agreed.

The delegations were led by Guyana's Foreign Minister, Hugh Todd, and Venezuela's Foreign Minister, Yván Gil. At the request of the parties, I accompanied the proceedings as the main interlocutor and facilitator, alongside Ambassador Gareth Bynoe of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the country holding the Presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). The meeting was also attended by the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs of the United Nations, Mr. Miroslav Jenca, representing the Secretary-General of the United Nations as an observer.

In today's talks, Venezuela and Guyana expressed their understanding of the commitment made in the "Argyle Declaration for Dialogue and Peace", in particular the mandate given to the Joint Commission.

Guyana and Venezuela presented their agenda proposals for the work of the Joint Commission, which will be discussed at a later stage in a new meeting that could also be convened in Brazil. They undertook, acknowledging their differences, to continue dialoguing on the basis of the parameters established by the Argyle Declaration.

I am grateful for the participation of the foreign ministers of Venezuela and Guyana in today's talks, as well as the presence of regional actors, such as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, representing CELAC, and the UN, which observed and participated in the proceedings.

Our region has the political will and all the necessary instruments to advance in its common project of fair social development, in a peaceful and supportive environment. 

As we face the wars that are raging in different parts of the world, we have learned to value even more our Latin American and Caribbean culture of peaceful settlement of disputes, the basis of the community of interests that unites us, in a context free of geopolitical tensions of extra-regional origin.

I therefore hope that our Venezuelan and Guyanese brothers and sisters will continue to build the necessary trust to think about a common horizon, in which the ties that correspond to good neighbors will contribute to the well-being of both peoples.

I invite the regional and international communities to continue to support this dialogue process within the framework of the Argyle Declaration.