Meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Group on Guyana, 27 September 2010 - Concluding Statement

The Commonwealth Ministerial Group on Guyana was convened by the Commonwealth Secretary-General on 27 September 2010 in New York, in accordance with the mandate given to him by Commonwealth Heads of Government when they met in Trinidad and Tobago in 2009, "to convene meetings of the Group whenever necessary". The meeting was chaired by the Honourable Dr Dipu Moni, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh.

The Group received an update on the status of relations between Guyana and Venezuela. The Group expressed satisfaction with the efforts that were being made by both countries to develop their bilateral relations.

The Group welcomed the appointment of a Personal Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, in the person of Professor Norman Girvan, to support the Secretary-General in his role as Good Officer, to assist Guyana and Venezuela in the search for a solution to the controversy that has arisen from the Venezuelan contention that the Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 is null and void. That Award definitively established the boundary between Guyana and Venezuela.

The Group reaffirmed the unequivocal support of the Commonwealth for the maintenance and safeguarding of Guyana’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and its right to develop its resources in the entirety of its territory.