Leaders of Guyana and Venezuela to Hold Face-to-Face Meeting in Effort to Resolve Territorial Dispute

The leaders of Guyana and Venezuela are set to meet in an attempt to defuse a long-standing territorial dispute over the Essequibo region. The dispute escalated after Venezuelans voted in a referendum to claim two-thirds of Guyana's territory. Regional partners have pushed for the meeting, which will be attended by the prime ministers of Barbados, Dominica, and Trinidad and Tobago. The meeting aims to ease tensions and find a resolution to the border controversy, but it remains uncertain if any agreements will be reached. Guyana's president insists that the dispute should be resolved by the International Court of Justice, while Venezuela argues that the 1966 Geneva Agreement nullified the border drawn in 1899.