HGP Nightly News – Guyana’s Private Sector Commission is warning that recent actions by a senior Venezuelan official during a regional visit to Barbados must not be dismissed as harmless symbolism, arguing that the display was a calculated provocation tied to Venezuela’s claim to Guyana’s Essequibo region.
In a strongly worded statement, the PSC condemned what it described as a “deliberate and provocative display of imagery” during the April 26 and 27 visit of Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez to Barbados. According to the Commission, imagery showing Guyana’s Essequibo as part of Venezuela was displayed during the high-level engagement, an act the private sector body says should alarm both Guyana and its regional partners.
The PSC said the display was “neither incidental nor benign,” but instead amounted to “symbolic aggression” designed to shape regional perceptions, influence the political narrative and test how far Venezuela can go without facing firm resistance. In its view, such gestures are especially dangerous because they are being made in diplomatic spaces where silence can easily be mistaken for acceptance.
This was not the first such controversy involving Rodríguez. The Barbados engagement followed another regional appearance in Grenada earlier this month, where she drew criticism for wearing a brooch depicting a Venezuelan map that included the Essequibo. For the PSC, the pattern is clear: Venezuelan officials are using regional platforms to reinforce and normalise an annexation claim that Guyana rejects outright.
The Commission said such actions are unacceptable because they threaten regional stability, weaken trust and undermine the principle of peaceful dispute resolution. Reaffirming Guyana’s position in blunt terms, the PSC declared: “Essequibo is Guyana’s.” It stressed that the territory is administered by Guyana, inhabited by Guyanese citizens and protected under international law.
The private sector body also tied the latest incident to what it said is a wider pattern of escalation by Venezuela, including the creation of the so-called “Guayana Esequiba State,” a move Guyana has condemned as unlawful and provocative. The PSC said these actions run counter to both the International Court of Justice process and the commitments outlined in the Argyle Declaration.
In that context, the Commission warned that the response of regional leaders matters. It called specifically on Barbados, which it described as a valued CARICOM partner and longstanding friend of Guyana, to stand firmly in defence of Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It also appealed to the wider CARICOM region and international partners to remain “vigilant and unequivocal” in their support for the rule of law.
The PSC’s core warning was that passivity carries its own danger. “Silence or inaction in the face of such deliberate provocation risks emboldening further escalation,” the Commission said, suggesting that the absence of a clear regional response could encourage Venezuela to continue testing political and diplomatic boundaries.
The statement comes as the long-running border controversy remains before the International Court of Justice, where Guyana is seeking a final ruling on the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award that fixed the boundary. With oral hearings expected in May 2026, the PSC said Guyana’s economic stability, investment climate and national development all depend on the integrity of its borders and respect for international law.
Closing on a defiant note, the Commission repeated what has become a national rallying cry across political and social lines: “Essequibo belongs to Guyana.”
