Government remains silent two days after Maduro promulgates law annexing Essequibo

The government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) has not yet officially commented on the act of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro to promulgate the unilateral law that annexes the Essequibo region, which belongs to Guyana, last Wednesday (3).

Lula is the main guarantor of Venezuela’s reinsertion into international geopolitics, but he began to rehearse a change of tone last week after the country’s electoral court prevented the registration of opponent Corina Yoris for this year’s presidential race.

Neither Lula nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have commented on the controversial annexation of Essequibo through a detailed law that would prevent any protest movement, including allowing “all the national and military power of the country” for this, as the Minister of Defense said. Venezuelan, Vladimir Padrino López.

The silence also contrasts with the position that was being adopted by Brazil of being a moderator of the negotiations between Nicolás Maduro and the Guyanese president, Irfaan Ali, and having sponsored their meeting in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, at the end of last year.

On that occasion, Maduro and Ali signed an agreement committing not to use military force against each other and not to intensify the discourse on the dispute over Essequibo.

Despite the silence on the part of the government, Lula’s special advisor for international affairs, Celso Amorim, said that he sees Maduro’s action more as a “symbolic gesture” in the face of “internal politics”. However, he ruled out that it would evolve into something more serious.

“The gesture is symbolic, it obviously has its weight, but I will venture an opinion that this has to do with internal politics. It’s symbolic, it may have some effect, but I don’t think there will be any serious consequences,” he said in an interview with the newspaper The globe.

Amorim also reaffirmed Brazil’s commitment to peace in the region and expressed confidence in the agreement between Guyana and Venezuela. He highlighted that Brazil “is a witness to this agreement” and highlighted the importance of strengthening dialogue between the countries involved.

“The signed agreement, authorized by Maduro himself, provides that it is essential to reaffirm the region as an area of ​​peace and says that the parties renounce any possibility of using armed force”, he pointed out, reaffirming that Brazil must “reinforce dialogue” with the countries involved.

The creation of the state of “Guiana Essequiba” is the result of a unilateral referendum held in December by Maduro. The Essequibo region is an area rich in oil and natural resources and has been the subject of dispute between Venezuela and Guyana for more than a century.

According to the text of the law promulgated by Maduro, the state of “Guiana Essequiba” would be governed from the city of Tumeremo, in the Venezuelan state of Bolívar, and provides for measures against those who “favor” the cause of Guyana.