Ralph Gonsalves

The presidents of Venezuela and Guyana pledged after direct talks on Thursday not to resort to force to settle a long-simmering — and recently reheated — territorial dispute over the oil-rich Essequibo region, a joint statement said.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his Guyanese counterpart, Irfaan Ali, will meet Thursday on their countries' growing dispute over the oil-rich region of Essequibo, amid mounting international warnings against escalating the row.

At the 21st ministerial meeting of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) of the CARICOM Caribbean Community held in Nassau, Bahamas, Romania's Deputy Prime Minister Ana Birchall delivered the Romanian Government's strong support for the country's bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.