MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Venezuelan FM contests remarks from Canadian Commissioner in Guyana

Canada should focus on its own affairs, Gil stressed

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil was heavily critical of Canada's stance regarding his country's territorial dispute with Guyana over the oil-rich Essequibo region and insisted Ottawa played a destabilizing factor in the Caribbean region. According to Gil, Canada's “failed” position served the interests of ExxonMobil.

Gil contested the Canadian High Commissioner in Guyana Mark Berman's statements saying that the Government of Canada had no authority to give an opinion on the controversy between Guyana and Venezuela, and should focus on its own internal affairs. The minister also demanded on social media that Canada stop being a destabilizing factor in the Caribbean region. Gil also called on the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to refrain from dragging other countries into this conflict.

Berman underlined that Canada stood with Guyana in its border controversy with Venezuela and urged respect for international law.

“The Canadian Government is concerned with the tensions between Guyana and Venezuela, and we reiterate that we stand with the Guyanese people. We stand with the Government, and we call for respect of international law. In this complex, ever-changing global environment, good relations are paramount, and I can’t emphasize enough the importance we place on our relationship with Guyana,” Berman said during the Canada Day celebrations.

“We’re doing our best to work side-by-side with Guyana because the relationship between Canada and Guyana is rooted in the deep historical people-to-people lengths that I mentioned. Canada has always been a close friend of Guyana, and we will continue to work with you to strengthen our relationship and achieve your economic and social development goals,” he added.

“Canada continues to value and build a relationship with Guyana which we forged since your independence, and which continues to expand and deepen 58 years later. Canada and Guyana not only share a multilateral relationship on the global and regional stage, but, above all, we are bilateral partners on the trade development front, and (we are) friends,” he also noted.