Venezuela, Guyana agree not to 'use force' to settle land dispute

Venezuela & Guyana pledge not to use force in territorial dispute, agree to meet in Brazil to resolve it in accordance with international law.

The presidents of Venezuela and Guyana pledged after direct talks on Thursday not to resort to force to settle a long-simmering -- and recently reheated -- territorial dispute over the oil-rich Essequibo region, a joint statement said.

Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro and Guyana's Irfaan Ali shook hands after a two-hour meeting on the Caribbean island nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The two sides agreed that they "will not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances," the statement said.

Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of Saint Vincent read the three-page statement, which included concrete measures to ensure tensions on the ground do not escalate suddenly.

But neither Venezuela nor Guyana agreed on the proper global jurisdiction to settle the territorial dispute over Essequibo, which makes up about two-thirds of Guyana's territory.

Mr. Maduro, who has sought to rally support in his nation with the territorial claims, cast the summit as a triumph.

"Excellent day of dialogue!" Maduro posted on X, formerly Twitter. "We did it!"