PRESIDENT Dr. Irfaan Ali will assess whether the call by Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro for a face-to-face meeting is good for Guyana and the nation’s security interest.
This was according to People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo during his weekly press conference at Freedom House on Thursday.

“At the time, no such plan has been finalised,” Jagdeo said, adding: “That has to be assessed against what he wants to meet on, and also whether it is good for our country and our national security interest. The President will make that assessment.”
Back in December 2023, Presidents Ali and Maduro had met in St. Vincent & the Grenadines. The meeting was facilitated by the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, and observed by Brazil, CARICOM, and a UN Under-Secretary-General.
That meeting had culminated with the Argyle Declaration that outlines a pledge from both countries to refrain from escalating the border controversy.

The two leaders had also interacted at the recent VII summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where they exchanged tokens.
The 1899 Arbitral Award, a significant ruling, established the border between British Guiana (now Guyana) and Venezuela.

Given ongoing aggression by Venezuela, last week, the Guyanese government filed a request for urgent intervention by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) after Venezuela announced plans to hold elections in Guyana’s Essequibo region on May 25, 2025.

Guyana contends that these actions by Venezuela violate the ICJ’s December 1, 2023 order, as well as the fundamental principles of international law. In its filing, Guyana emphasised the illegality of Venezuela’s efforts, and requested the ICJ to take the necessary steps to prevent further violations.