Dr. Richard Van West-Charles on Friday presented his Letters of Credence to His Excellency Yvan Gil, minister for People’s Power for Foreign Affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
According to a press release from Guyana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Gil and Van West-Charles engaged in cordial discussions. Van West-Charles affirmed the imperative of peace and cooperation as guiding principles for the relations between Guyana and Venezuela.
The newly accredited Ambassador to Venezuela is committed to working during his tenure to pursue Guyana’s interests in exploring the potential for collaboration in areas that would provide an opportunity for the neighboring countries to develop a program of cooperation for the mutual benefit of both peoples.
Van West-Charles will present his credentials to His Excellency Nicolas Maduro at a later date. He takes up his diplomatic posting at a time when Venezuela has been intensifying its claims over Guyana’s Essequibo region.
Tensions flared between the two countries in November and early December and only calmed following a meeting — organized by CARICOM, CELAC and Brazil — between the presidents of Guyana and Venezuela. The meeting, which took place at the Argyle International Airport in St. Vincent, produced The Argyle declaration, which mandates that the two countries maintain the peace and do nothing to interfere with the peace or to provoke the peace in the region.
Through the Declaration, Guyana is maintaining its position that the controversy should and must be settled at the International Court of Justice, where it says it has a strong case. Venezuela, however, has seen the Argyle declaration as the beginning of a negotiation.