President Bharrat Jagdeo is scheduled to visit Venezuela today at the invitation of that country’s president Hugo Chavez, this newspaper understands.

Reports reaching Stabroek News yesterday said the Venezuelan media were reporting that the Guyanese leader was expected today on a state visit but efforts to officially confirm this in Georgetown were unsuccessful with one official only conceding that the president was going to the neighbouring country.

Speaking at an event in Georgetown to mark Venezuela’s 199th Independence on July 8 Prime Minister Samuel Hinds had said that Jagdeo was scheduled to visit the Bolivarian Republic at the invitation of Chavez. GINA had reported Hinds as saying that it was hoped that the discussions would provide added political impetus to the development of relations between the two countries.

According to GINA, Hinds said Guyana looks forward to working with Venezuela in resolving the border issue under the aegis of the new mechanism employed by the ‘Good Officer Process’ of the United Nations Secretary General aimed at assisting both countries to find a solution.