Venezuelans march after the declaration of results of the consultative referendum on the Essequibo, held on December 3, 2023. Photo: Latin American Post.
Venezuela condemned the Guyanese government’s “improper comments” on the Organic Law for the Defense of Guayana Esequiba, approved by the National Assembly of Venezuela. The condemnation was made in a communiqué issued by the Venezuelan government on Saturday, March 23, in which the Irfaan Ali administration’s action has been described as “an evident act of interference in matters that only concern Venezuelans.”
“Venezuela reminds Guyana that under no circumstances is it obliged to give explanations on the legislative processes of its institutions,” reads the statement issued by the Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry. “Our Bolivarian Constitution is very clear in declaring that national sovereignty resides exclusively in the people. The genesis of this Organic Law is based on the decision of the Venezuelan people, expressed in a constitutional and democratic manner in the consultative referendum held in our country on December 3, 2023.”
The Venezuelan government’s statement comes after the Guyanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation stated in a communiqué dated Friday, March 22, that the Venezuelan law on the Essequibo is allegedly a “flagrant violation of Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and … in breach of the fundamental principles of international law enshrined in the United Nations Charter,” as reported by Stabroek News.
#Comunicado 📢 El Gobierno de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela, rechaza el comunicado emitido el 22 de marzo de 2024 por el Gobierno de Guyana, donde emite impropios comentarios sobre la Ley Orgánica para la Defensa de la Guayana Esequiba, aprobada por la Asamblea Nacional… pic.twitter.com/PXx2pGNGkH
— Yvan Gil (@yvangil) March 23, 2024
The Venezuelan government, in its official statement, stressed that it had informed the international community that the law approved by the National Assembly on Thursday, March 21 “intends to defend and preserve the sovereign and unquestionable rights of Venezuela over the territory of Essequiba Guyana, always under the aegis of international law and the Geneva Agreement of 1966, the only valid instrument to resolve the territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana in an amicable and mutually satisfactory manner.”
The government also ratified its commitment to the dialogue process initiated in Argyle on December 14, 2023 “from which Guyana seems to have deviated by continuing to create tension in the region by forging alliances with military and intelligence entities such as the US Southern Command and the Central Intelligence Agency.”
An unofficial translation of the statement is provided below:
The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela condemns the communiqué issued on March 22, 2024 by the government of Guyana in which it makes improper comments on the Organic Law for the Defense of Guayana Esequiba, approved by the National Assembly of Venezuela, which is an evident act of interference in matters that only concern Venezuelans.
Venezuela reminds Guyana that under no circumstances is it obliged to give explanations on the legislative processes of its institutions. Our Bolivarian Constitution is very clear in declaring that national sovereignty resides exclusively in the people. The genesis of this Organic Law is based on the decision of the Venezuelan people, expressed in a constitutional and democratic manner in the consultative referendum held in our country on December 3, 2023.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has informed the international community that this legal instrument intends to defend and preserve the sovereign and unquestionable rights of Venezuela over the territory of Guayana Esequiba, always under the aegis of international law and the Geneva Agreement of 1966, the only valid instrument to resolve the territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana in an amicable and mutually satisfactory manner.
Venezuela once again ratifies its firm commitment to the dialogue process initiated in Argyle on December 14, 2023 and ratified at the meeting of Foreign Ministers of Venezuela and Guyana held in Brasilia on January 25, 2024, from which Guyana seems to have deviated by continuing to create tensions in the region by forging alliances with military and intelligence entities such as the US Southern Command and the Central Intelligence Agency, for the benefit of the transnational ExxonMobil, continuing the illegal and provocative practice of granting oil concessions in waters that are yet to be delimited with Venezuela.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has been, is and will continue to be a guarantor of peace and international coexistence.
The sun of Venezuela rises in the Essequibo.
Caracas, March 23, 2024
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ
