The Venezuelan Maduro regime has agreed to not “use force” to settle its dispute with the government of Guyana over the oil-rich region of Essequibo.

The peace agreement comes weeks after tensions rose between the two nations when Nicolás Maduro held a referendum voteasking Venezuelans if they believed their country had a legal right to the Essequibo region.

The threat of invasion even prompted the U.S. military to conduct air force drills with Guyana in South America, sending a veiled warning to Caracas that Washington would intervene if Venezuela deployed military forces.

The 160,000 sq-km jungle region in question covers two-thirds of Guyana’s territory.