Uganda’s Amb. Odida, Venezuela Envoy Arrundell discuss referendum on Esequiba territory

Today, a significant diplomatic meeting was held between Ambassador Ochen Odida, Director of Regional and International Political Affairs, and Rafael Arrundell, the Chargé d’Affaires of Venezuela in Kampala.

The primary agenda centered on the impending Consultative Referendum scheduled for December 3rd, specifically aimed at defending the Esequibo region’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Guayana Esequiba is a region under claim, located between the west of the Esequibo River and Venezuela. It has an area of ​​159,542 km² that the Cooperative Republic of Guyana illegally uses as its own, but whose sovereignty has been claimed by Venezuela since the 19^th century.

Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro

In their discussions, Ambassador Odida and Chargé d’Affaires Arrundell emphasized the paramount importance of the impending referendum and its potential impact on the regional dynamics. The meeting aimed to navigate the complexities surrounding this issue, seeking to establish common ground and explore avenues for amicable resolution.

Echoing similar sentiments, Chargé d’Affaires Arrundell emphasized the need for diplomatic discourse to find a practical solution.

Venezuela has insisted on denouncing the unjust and spurious conduct of the United Kingdom on the occasion of the Paris arbitration fraud of 1899 that facilitated the dispossession of an enormous space of the land territory known as Guayana Esequiba.

Venezuela’s President, Nicolás Maduro Moros, in a public address, outlined six fundamental historical junctures about Guayana Esequiba. These phases span from the inception of the territory, the colonial era, and subsequent independence (1492-1840), traversing through imperial aggressions leading to dispossession and arbitration fraud (1840-1899). The timeline progresses to the exposure of fraud, the rise of awareness, and the Geneva Agreement (1900-1966), followed by endeavors for a practical and mutually satisfying solution under the Geneva Agreement (1966-2015). The fifth phase involves conspiracy against Venezuela (2015-2023), while the sixth phase unfolds through the conduct of the consultative referendum (2023 onwards).

During the Consultative Referendum, Venezuelans will answer five questions, which are in line with the firm position that the State and the Venezuelan people have maintained, for more than a century, against the dispossession of Esequibo, forged under the protection of the Arbitration Award of Paris of 1899, which is void and null, for not having had the participation and approval of Venezuela.

President Maduro mentioned that Venezuela’s National Assembly unanimously supported consulting on Esequibo, also known as Guayana Esequiba, in response to attempts violating Venezuela’s territory by foreign colonialists with interests aligned with Guyana. The conspiracy against Venezuela escalated in 2015 when ExxonMobil found oil in disputed maritime waters, leading to heightened provocations involving the United States. Despite this, Venezuela aims for a peaceful resolution, endorsing dialogue as outlined in the 1966 Geneva Agreement, rejecting the International Court of Justice’s jurisdiction and emphasizing the need for a political solution benefiting both nations.