Guyana reaffirms commitment to peaceful coexistence, regional integration

Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, has reiterated Guyana’s overarching position of maintaining peaceful coexistence with all its neighbours, including Venezuela, while reaffirming that the country will continue to be guided by international law in regard to any territorial controversy.
He was at the time addressing leaders at the IX Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister also pledged Guyana’s commitment to regional integration, sustainable development, and peace.
“Guyana has fulfilled its commitments under the Argyle Declaration (signed in December 2023 with Venezuela), and we remain committed to the pursuit of good neighbourliness, peaceful coexistence, and the unity of Latin America and the Caribbean,” Phillips stated, while stressing that the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity remain seriously threatened.

He also addressed the humanitarian crisis in Haiti and echoed the call for a return to peace and democratic governance, while expressing sympathy and solidarity with the Dominican Republic following the recent nightclub disaster.
The Prime Minister emphasised the shared responsibility of CELAC member states to work towards sustained economic advancement, continued development, peace, security, and social stability.
In addressing the threat of climate change, Phillips described global warming as an “existential crisis” and reiterated the urgency of global commitments to facilitate a balanced and commensurate global response—addressing mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, and the urgent need to achieve a trajectory of 1.5 degrees Celsius and below.
“We welcome the fact that COP30 will come to our region later this year, with Brazil as its host.
Our region is home to the Amazon, which, through its standing forests, has one of the highest absorption capacities for greenhouse gases. It is hoped that the Amazon’s vast capacity can inspire the honouring of tangible commitments by the international community to effect the level of change required globally,” he said.

Stressing the importance of aligning efforts to address climate change with initiatives that promote renewable energy, the Prime Minister pointed out that many parts of the region remain energy deficient.
Guyana, he noted, is pursuing energy security and sustainability through a diverse, clean energy approach, and the government is dedicated to providing affordable, reliable energy to all citizens.
Additionally, Prime Minister Phillips listed food and nutrition security as a high priority across the region, noting related efforts by CARICOM.
“As a subregion which is a net importer of food, it has been working consistently towards boosting the production and quality of its agricultural produce at an affordable price to implement a sustainable import replacement programme.”
To achieve this, he highlighted CARICOM’s quest to reduce its food import bill by 25 per cent by 2030.
The summit was held under the theme, “Commitment to Peace, Dialogue and Latin American and Caribbean Unity.”

Leaders at the summit