VENEZUELA: FRIEND OR SOMETHING ELSE?

On July 06, 2021, 19 nations including Venezuela decided made the decision to come together and launch The Group of Friends in Defence of the Charter of the United Nations.

The three objectives of the Group of Friends simply put are to:

1. Work to make further progress towards achieving full respect for international law, shall strive to preserve, promote and defend the prevalence and validity of the UN Charter, which, in the current international juncture, has a renewed and even more important value and relevance.

2. Ensure full, permanent and effective – and not selectively or conveniently – fulfillment of obligations under the UN Charter and compliance with its letter and spirit, conscious of the fact that this is the legal instrument with the greatest scope and legitimacy in the world, which has prevented and shall continue to prevent humankind from suffering once again the horrors and untold sorrow of the scourge of war.

3. Serve as a platform for, among others, promoting the prevalence of legality over force and for discussing, articulating possible means and coordinating joint initiatives for fostering respect for the principles of sovereignty, equality of States, non-interference in the internal affairs of States, peaceful settlement of disputes, and refraining from the use or threat of use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, as enshrined in the UN Charter, as well as for the values of dialogue, tolerance and solidarity, mindful of the fact that these are all at the core of international relations and necessary for peaceful coexistence among nations.

Since the launch of this body we have seen Venezuela’s President Mauro take several opportunities to violate these objectives that he agreed to less than three years ago. In recent months we have seen steady and effective disinformation campaigns in Venezuela using traditional and social media declaring the legitimacy of Venezuela’s claims of the Essequibo Region.

On December 03, 2023, Maduro led his people to vote on the Venezuela Referendum on their sovereignty of the Essequibo. The Referendum while being successful at the polls only captured the attention of about half the eligible voting population.

Following this move, Guyana’s President HE Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali and Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro met in Argyle, St Vincent and the Grenadines, where they reiterated their commitment to Latin America and the Caribbean remaining a Zone of Peace.

In the communique from this meeting it was stated that:

• Guyana and Venezuela, directly or indirectly, will not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances, including those consequential to any existing controversies between the two States.

• Agreed that any controversies between the two States will be resolved in accordance with international law, including the Geneva Agreement dated February 17, 1966.

• Committed to the pursuance of good neighborliness, peaceful coexistence, and the unity of Latin America and the Caribbean.

However, some two weeks later Venezuela’s leader ordered more than 5000 military personnel (including air and naval forces) to engage in “defensive” exercises near the country’s eastern coast which is close to the border with Guyana.

This launch, according to Venezuela was in response to the announcement that the United Kingdom warship the HMS Trent would as part of a series of engagements in the Caribbean make its way to Guyana’s offshore.

Yet, Objective Three of the Group of Friends clearly outlines that “coordinating joint initiatives for fostering respect for the principles of sovereignty…peaceful settlement of disputes, and refraining from the use or threat of use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State.”

Are these the actions of a Friend of the UN that wants peace or are these acts an indication of something else?

President Nicolás Maduro Moros (right) with Ambassador Richard Van West-Charles. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs photo)

Nevertheless Guyana continues on the journey of diplomacy with the recent dispatching of Dr. Richard Van West-Charles to the Bolivarian Republic as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. Dr Charles arrival and accreditation from all indications in the Venezuelan traditional and social media are welcome.