OPEN LETTER TO CARICOM LEADERS

April 30, 2026·2 min read

Dear Editor,

Recent engagements between Caribbean leaders and representatives of Venezuela have exposed a troubling weakness at the heart of regional leadership.

When Venezuela, acting president Delcy Rodríguez appeared at official meetings wearing a pin depicting the Essequibo as part of Venezuela^[1], it was not a casual or harmless gesture. It was a calculated political statement—one widely viewed as deliberate and provocative, and even described as “symbolic aggression” against Guyana’s sovereignty. The failure to confront this openly is both disappointing and dangerous.

It is particularly concerning that leaders such as Mia Mottley, who has delivered powerful speeches on the international stage about fairness and the treatment of small states and Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell did not use those engagements to clearly and publicly insist on respect for territorial integrity. Leadership on the international stage demands more than eloquence; it requires courage when it matters most.

The silence of CARICOM in the face of such a blatant provocation suggests that economic issues and narrow national interests have become the major causes of disunity. At a time when Guyana faces sustained and increasingly assertive pressure, anything short of a firm, unified stance represents a failure of regional responsibility.

Recently, academics have called for consideration to be given to the establishment of “PetroCaricom” to replace PetroCaribe, led by Guyana, in order to rekindle regional unity and promote CARICOM’s energy security.

Guyana must now lead not only by asserting its sovereign rights but by strengthening regional partnerships in ways that remove vulnerabilities. It must also embark on a vigorous diplomatic campaign to ensure that the globally accepted map of Guyana is recognised and used in every country, including Venezuela.

At the same time, the role of external powers, particularly the United States, raises legitimate concerns about influence and division within the region. Caribbean leaders must ensure they are not participants in strategies that weaken collective unity. This is a defining moment. CARICOM must convene urgently and take an unequivocal stand in defense of Guyana’s territorial integrity. Anything less will confirm the growing perception that regional solidarity is negotiable and that Caribbean unity can be compromised precisely when it is most needed.

Regards,
Rawle Blackman

References

Venezuela's Rodríguez wears controversial pin that riles Guyana — apnews.com ↩

Venezuela's Rodríguez wears controversial pin that riles Guyana

apnews.com · 2026-04-29

Venezuela's Rodríguez wears controversial pin that riles Guyana | AP News # More than fashion: A pin worn by Venezuela’s Rodríguez on state visits riles Guyana Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell and Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez meet with the press at the Houses of Parliament in Saint George’s, Grenada, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Haron Forteau) GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Guyana complained to Caribbean leaders on Tuesday after Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez wore a controversial pin during official visits depicting the map of Guyana’s western region that Venezuela has long claimed as its own. The pin, which Rodríguez wore on her attire, is in the shape of Guyana’s resources-rich Essequibo region that makes up two-thirds of its territory that’s at the heart of a centuries-old territorial dispute with Venezuela, which neighbors Guyana to west. The pin has been increasingly worn by Venezuelan government officials, state television anchors, lawmakers and members of the ruling party following the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro in a stunning nighttime raid on his residence in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, in early January. In a note to Terrance Drew, the prime minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and chairman of a Caribbean trade bloc known as Caricom, Guyanese President Irfaan Ali said the pin asserts “Venezuela’s claim to Guyana’s territory.” Rodríguez wore the pin when she visited Barbados on Monday, and previously, during a visit to Grenada earlier in April, her first overseas trip since she took over after Maduro’s seizure. Related Stories In his note, Ali said he fears Rodríguez’s use of the pin on official trips could be misinterpreted as her hosts’ “acquiescence or tolerance” of Venezuela’s territorial claims. Read More “Caricom’s principled support for Guyana must be reflected not only in declarations but in the context and conduct of official engagements,” he added, referring to the bloc. Venezuela has long argued that an 1899 international boundaries commission cheated it out of the area during British colonial rule. The land dispute is currently before the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands. In his note, Ali also reminded the trade bloc that it has unequivocally supported Guyana’s claim to the region at key meetings and insisted Venezuela should not be allowed to display “symbols and maps” of Essequibo as it would only undermine the case before the international court. He has also railed against the inclusion of Essequibo on official maps of Venezuela, calling it a ”calculated and provocative assertion of a claim” that Guyana has persistently rejected. In recent years, Venezuela has sent gunboats to U.S.-run offshore oilfields licensed by Guyana, demanding that oil production there be halted, threats that the rigs have ignored. In Caracas, government officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

Source

OPEN LETTER TO CARICOM LEADERS in Kaieteur News, April 30, 2026

OPEN LETTER TO CARICOM LEADERS — Rawle Blackman — Opinion