Map showing the location of the Essequibo region, disputed between Venezuela and Guyana. Photo: RedRadioVE/File photo.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued its position regarding Venezuela’s preliminary objections to Guyana’s unilateral claim to the Essequibo territory. Venezuela requested that the conflict not be resolved through the courts, but through diplomatic means instead; however, the ICJ rejected this request.
“By 14 votes to one, the court rejects the preliminary objection filed by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” announced the president of the ICJ, Joan Donoghue, this Thursday, April 6. As a result of this ruling, the ICJ will proceed with a trial to hear the evidence accompanying the lawsuit.
Venezuela Rejects Guyana’s Accusations of ‘Venezuelan Imperialism’ Regarding Essequibo Dispute
Additionally, the ICJ rejected Venezuela’s request for the United Kingdom to be brought into the dispute. The court outlined that Venezuela and Guyana entered into direct negotiations on various occasions, without the participation of the United Kingdom.
Venezuela argued that the Geneva Agreement, a treaty enforced in the territorial conflict, was signed in 1966 between Venezuela and the authorities of the United Kingdom; at that time, there was no such thing as Guyana as an independent republic.
¿Cuál debe ser la base jurídica de este asunto? Venezuela exige que se respete el acuerdo para resolver la controversia entre Venezuela y el Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte sobre la frontera entre Venezuela y la Guayana Británica, conocido como Acuerdo de Ginebra,
— Ana Cristina Bracho. (@anicrisbracho) April 6, 2023
Historical claim
Venezuela accepts the 1966 Geneva Agreement as the legal framework for resolution of the dispute over the Essequibo territory, and does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICJ over Guyana’s claim.
In a recent statement, the Venezuelan government confirmed that the nation “possesses the indisputable historical and legal titles that show that the Essequibo territory belongs to [Venezuela] since before and after its formation as a free, sovereign, and independent Republic in 1810.”
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
