Guyana fears Venezuela’s referendum sets stage for seizure of Essequibo

Last Updated on Monday, 23 October 2023, 21:58 by Denis Chabrol

Government on Monday expressed concern that Venezuela’s December 3 Referendum will lay the ground work for the annexation of Guyana’s County of Essequibo.

In one of the questions approved by Venezuela’s Electoral Council, the referendum seeks the agreement of Venezuelans to establish Essequibo as a State of Venezuela, take care of current and future residents and grant them citizenship and identification cards.

In reaction, Guyana on Monday said that intent could foment violence and takeover of Essequibo in clear violation of international law.

“This amounts to nothing less than the annexation of Guyana’s territory, in blatant
violation of the most fundamental rules of the UN Charter, the OAS Charter and general
international law. Such a seizure of Guyana’s territory would constitute the international
crime of aggression,” the Guyana government said.

Following is the full text of the Statement by the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

“The Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana has taken careful note of the issuance by the National Electoral Council of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela of five
questions to be asked in the national referendum scheduled for December 3, 2023.

Among other questions, all of which are intended to further Venezuela’s unlawful and
unfounded claim to more than two-thirds of Guyana’s national territory, question five is
the most pernicious: it brazenly seeks the approval of the Venezuelan people of the
creation of a new Venezuelan State consisting of Guyana’s Essequibo Region, which would
be incorporated into the national territory of Venezuela, and the granting of Venezuelan
citizenship to the population.

This amounts to nothing less than the annexation of Guyana’s territory, in blatant
violation of the most fundamental rules of the UN Charter, the OAS Charter and general
international law. Such a seizure of Guyana’s territory would constitute the international
crime of aggression.

The Government of Guyana categorically rejects any attempt to undermine the territorial
integrity of the sovereign State of Guyana. The Government finds abhorrent that the
Essequibo region which forms part of the territory of Guyana in accordance with the 1899
Arbitral Award that demarcated the boundaries of the States of Venezuela and then
British Guiana, should be ‘created’ into a State within Venezuela.

Further, the Government rejects the internationally unlawful act to put forward the ‘granting of citizenship and Venezuelan identity cards in accordance with the Geneva Agreement and international law’. It is by way of the Geneva Agreement and the principles of
international law that the question of the validity of the Arbitral Award of 1899 has been
put before the International Court of Justice. That Court has ruled that it has jurisdiction
to hear this case. Guyana has repeatedly encouraged Venezuela to participate in the case.
The people of Guyana remain resolute against any threats to the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of their country.

Neither the Government or the people of one country have the right in international law
to seize, annexe or take the territory of another country. International law emphatically
prohibits this.

The Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana calls the attention of the
international community to the actions being carried out by the Government of the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela which have the potential to incite violence and to threaten the peace and security of the State of Guyana and by extension the Caribbean
region.

October 23, 2023