Pres. Ali to determine whether meeting Venezuela’s president good for country and national security – Jagdeo

Mar 15, 2025 News

---

Kaieteur News- A meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and President Irfaan Ali will have to be assessed to determine whether it is in Guyana’s best interest and the country’s national security.

This is according to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo who told reporters on Thursday that there has been no plan to have a meeting with the Venezuelan leader.

Responding to a question posed by Kaieteur News on whether President Ali was considering the request, Jagdeo said, “On the issue of Maduro trying to meet I think he has indicated that…I don’t think they’re currently any plans to meet that has been finalized. At this point in time, no such plan has been finalized. He’s indicated a desire to meet, that has to be assessed against what he wants to meet on, and also whether it’s good for our country and our national security interest.”

Jagdeo said that assessment must be made by President Irfaan Ali who was in Texas at the time. The president met with several top-ranking officials from the United States government including General Randall Reed, the 15th Commander of the U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), United States Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and U.S. Secretary of Energy, Mr. Chris Wright.

“So, we’re hoping to continue this high-level engagement with not just with the Department of Energy, but State Department, the Justice Department and other entities,” Jagdeo said.

On March 12, this publication reported that days after his warships illegally entered Guyana’s waters, threatening ExxonMobil’s operations offshore, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called for a face-to-face meeting with President Irfaan Ali.

Maduro’s call for the meeting was made during a live broadcast aired on Venezuelan national television on March 6, 2025.

Venezuela under the leadership of Maduro is indirectly threatening an invasion of Guyana’s Essequibo despite both countries agreeing that they will not “directly or indirectly threaten or use force against one another under any circumstance, including those consequential to any existing controversies (the Guyana-Venezuela dispute) between the two States on December 14, 2023, via the Argyle Declaration signed in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Venezuelan Coast Guards illegally entered Guyana’s Stabroek Block and issued a warning to ExxonMobil FPSOS and drill rigs on March 1, 2025.

The Maduro regime immediately came under fire from the international community, with the United States of America, France, the United Kingdom, CARICOM, the OAS, and the Commonwealth of Nations showing strong support for Guyana.

In response, Maduro, on his live show called “Maduro Live De Repente” attacked the Guyanese president and then tried to bully him into a face-to-face meeting.

He accused Guyana of provoking Venezuela and called President Ali the “Zelenskyy” of the Caribbean.

“Yo he pedido que se convoque de inmediato desde hace cinco dias atras, una reunion del acuerdo Argyle para cara a cara demostrale a el (Ali) como esta violando los leyes internacionales.”

The translation is: “I have been asking for a meeting to be convened immediately under the Argyle Agreement for five days now, to demonstrate to him (President Ali) how he is violating international laws.”

Guyana and Venezuela are presently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the territorial controversy. The ICJ had ordered Venezuela to refrain from taking action that would alter Guyana’s control over the Essequibo until it rules on the case.

Guyana has since filed in the registry of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) a request for provisional measures in the case concerning the Arbitral Award of October 3, 1899 between Guyana and Venezuela.

The request was made as a result of Venezuela’s announcement of its plans to hold elections in Guyana’s Essequibo region, which is an integral part of its territory.

Guyana maintains that Venezuela’s intent to annex an area is in violation of the Court’s order of December 1, 2023 and the fundamental norms of international law.

Guyana has informed the Court that the planned Venezuelan elections are scheduled to take place on May 25, 2025 and 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.

As a result, in order to preserve its rights, Guyana is requesting that the Court order Venezuela to refrain from any acts within or affecting its sovereign territory, including the Essequibo region.

 

Further, Guyana requested the Court to convene hearings on its request as soon as possible to enable such provisional measures as might be indicated by the Court to be issued before serious and irremediable prejudice to Guyana’s rights occurs.

(Pres. Ali to determine whether meeting Venezuela’s president good for country and national security – Jagdeo)

---

• assessed, Guyana, Maduro, Security, Venezuela

---