MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/. President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro told Russian President Vladimir Putin about the negotiations with Guyana about the situation around the contested Essequibo region, the Kremlin press office said, adding that Putin advocated a diplomatic resolution of this issue.

"Nicolas Maduro informed [Putin] about the talks with the President of Guyana on the situation around the Essequibo region. Vladimir Putin spoke in favor of resolution of the Venezuelan-Guyanese territorial dispute via political and diplomatic means," the press office said.

Following the December 14 negotiations in Kingstown, Venezuela and Guyana vowed to reject any use of force in the settlement of the territorial dispute and reaffirmed their obligations to keep Latin America an area of peace, to prevent an escalation in the contested Essequibo region, and to resolve the years-long territorial dispute in accordance with international law. The sides agreed to continue the negotiations at the highest level in three months in Brazil.

The territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana has been going on for over 100 years. The conflict escalated after oil deposit of at least 10 billion barrels of oil was discovered in the region, know and Guyana granted ExxonMobil a concession on oil extraction at the shelf that does not have its border delimited. On December 6, the Venezuelan parliament passed a bill on protection of Guyana-Essequiba as a part of Venezuela based on the outcome of a consultative referendum. The new law provides for establishment of the 24th Venezuelan state of Guyana-Essequibo on the disputed territory.