The Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber has formally condemned the presentation of an inaccurate map at the Suriname Energy, Oil and Gas Summit 2026, after the territory depicted the New River Triangle as part of Suriname. The region is recognised under international law as sovereign Guyanese territory. GOGEC President Manniram Prashad called on international industry forums to strictly uphold recognised border standards when presenting geographic material at conferences attended by global investors and policymakers.

The chamber said the error was not a minor cartographic oversight but a matter requiring formal correction by the summit's organisers. International conferences and investment forums, it argued, carry a responsibility to maintain geographical and professional accuracy, particularly when government officials, energy executives and financiers rely on such material to understand the operating environment in the region. Prashad said the standing of the New River Triangle as Guyanese territory is settled, rooted in internationally recognised legal processes rather than open to differing national interpretations. The chamber rejected any suggestion that sovereignty over the area remains a matter of regional belief or ongoing negotiation.

GOGEC also pointed to a pattern of prior territorial misrepresentations involving foreign entities, framing the incident at SEOGS as part of a recurring problem rather than an isolated mistake. The chamber said it has previously raised objections to similar errors and intends to maintain a consistent policy of challenging any depiction that calls Guyana's borders into question, regardless of the platform or the party responsible. Officials at the chamber indicated that silence in the face of such errors risks normalising inaccurate depictions over time, particularly given how frequently maps circulate among investors who may have limited independent knowledge of the region's history.

The dispute arrives at a moment when both Guyana and Suriname are drawing significant international attention as emerging energy producers. Guyana's offshore discoveries have transformed its economy over the past several years, while Suriname has advanced its own offshore exploration activity, with both countries courting overlapping pools of international capital. GOGEC warned that geographic and political inaccuracies at major trade summits carry consequences beyond diplomatic embarrassment. Such errors, the chamber said, risk undermining bilateral cooperation between the two countries, complicating regional integration efforts, and creating confusion among investors assessing where licensing authority and legal jurisdiction actually lie.

The chamber called on event organisers, conference presenters and multinational stakeholders operating across the region to exercise greater diligence when handling geopolitical data, particularly maps used in investor-facing materials. Prashad noted that the commercial stakes of the energy sector make precision in these matters more important, not less, since misrepresented borders can affect how companies assess risk, structure contracts or approach regulatory engagement in either country.

Despite the firmness of its objection, GOGEC stressed that its position should not be read as opposition to deeper ties between the two countries. The chamber said it remains committed to fostering trade, energy partnerships and private sector development with Suriname, and that it views the relationship between the two neighbours as one with considerable potential for mutual benefit as both economies expand their energy output. Officials reiterated that Guyana's industry bodies have consistently supported regional cooperation where it is built on accurate and mutually respected foundations.

That cooperation, the chamber made clear, is conditional. Future economic collaboration between Guyana and Suriname depends on consistent respect for established national borders, and GOGEC said it would continue to treat any departure from that standard as a matter warranting public response. The chamber said it intends to advocate simultaneously for Guyana's sovereign interests and for the broader development of a stable, well-regulated regional energy framework, arguing that the two goals are not in tension but depend on one another if the Caribbean and South American energy sector is to attract long-term investment.

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