Bangladesh to work for resolving Guyana-Venezuela dispute: Momen

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, Chair of Commonwealth Ministerial Group on Guyana, on Tuesday reaffirmed the proposal of the group for peaceful settlement of the dispute between Guyana and Venezuela through the intervention of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

“Bangladesh looks forward to steering the Commonwealth Ministerial Group on Guyana to reach a peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue and international adjudication which also is in line with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s visionary foreign policy doctrine,” Momen said.

The foreign minister attended the virtual meeting for the second time during his tenure as the chairman.

Bangladesh took over the chairmanship from South Africa for this Ministerial Group.

The Group is currently overseeing the long-standing territorial dispute between the British Guyana and Venezuela over their maritime territory.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Patricia Scotland and Foreign Ministers of Antigua and Barbuda, Canada, Guyana, Jamaica and the UK were present in the meeting.

Momen reiterated firm and unswerving support for the maintenance and preservation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guyana.

He assured that Bangladesh would steer the deliberations of this Ministerial Group’s work towards a peaceful settlement of the territorial dispute between Guyana-Venezuela.