Guyana tells Latin American, Caribbean leaders World Court will settle border controversy with Venezuela

Last Updated on Friday, 1 March 2024, 17:41 by Denis Chabrol

Guyana’s President, Irfaan Ali on Friday told Latin American and Caribbean leaders that his country is bound by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to settle the decades-old border controversy with Venezuela.

He told the 8th Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in St Vincent that he was ready to speak with Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro about any aspect that might help to strengthen the relationship between their two neighbouring South American nations.

However, Dr Ali told leaders of CELAC countries, including Mr Maduro, that the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy would remain with the ICJ.  “The aspect relating to Venezuela’s claim to the Essequibo is before the International Court of Justice and the Joint Declaration of Argyle on Dialogue and Peace acknowledges that Guyana is committed to the process and procedures of the International Court of Justice for the resolution of the border controversy.

We are prepared to accept the judgement of the Court on this matter. I can assure you that Guyana remains steadfast in its commitment to the international judicial process, as well as, to maintaining our region as a “Zone of Peace”,” the Guyanese leader said.

President Ali’s position especially to leaders of the largely Spanish-speaking Latin American countries came in light of  the Venezuelan government’s position that it does not recognise the jurisdiction of the ICJ to settle the border controversy over the 160,000 square kilometre Essequibo Region. Instead, Venezuela has interpreted the 1966 Geneva Agreement to mean that the controversy must be settled bilaterally rather than by the World Court.

Dr Ali also urged CELAC leaders not to define defence cooperation or military activities as aggression against Venezuela. “Instead of drawing conclusions, States within the region must ascertain the facts. Statements that are not based on facts can only add to destablisation,” he said.

He pointed out that it is also important to note that no mention was made about the incursions into Guyana’s territorial space.

He cited the fact that Bolivia’s air surveillance and sea exercises were part of bilateral and regional security cooperation and had nothing to do with the Guyana and Venezuela controversy. In recent months, Guyana has been at pains to reassure that its defence cooperation with the United States, United Kingdom and France had nothing to do with the border controversy.

In light of repeated claims by the Maduro administration that Guyana was being used by the United States Army’s Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) to use Guyana as a launchpad to attack Venezuela, the Guyanese leader ruled out that possibility. “I assure all leaders here that Guyana’s priority is peace and you can have the confidence that our territory will never ever be used as a a platform of war or for war,” he said.

Stressing that Guyana was committed to peace, he hailed Brazil’s President Luis Inacio ‘Lula’ Da Silva’s principled and honest leadership to shape this region on a path to progress and prosperity.

“Fairness is standing on a platform of principle, honesty and values, nothing else,” Dr Ali added.

The Guyanese leader, at the CELAC Summit, also exchanged gifts with President Maduro;  the Guyanese leader giving him a bottle of rum and a coin and his Venezuelan counterpart giving him a wooden box containing numerous products from that Spanish-speaking neighbouring country.