Guatemala Responds to Sarstoon Tension Concerns

We also put some tough questions to Guatemala’s Foreign Minister about those recurring incidents in the Sarstoon involving the Guatemalan Armed Forces. We asked him directly whether Guatemala has any plan to dial down tensions in the area, or if the country intends to put an end to these encounters on the Sarstoon River once and for all. Here’s what he had to say.

 

Carlos Ramiro Martinez Alvarado, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Guatemala

“I think there have been discussions between the two nations aimed at reducing tensions that have led to incidents, of which the office of the OAS has also been closely monitoring very well. And yes, there are several measures that we have had to follow and implement internally, in coordination with our armed forces, in addition to the arrangements in place between both countries. I reiterate that the objective is to reduce tensions across the entire zone, including the Sarstoon River. There have been incidents that were, unfortunately, inevitable. However, Guatemala remains committed to reducing the tensions that lead to those incidents.”