ExxonMobil's FPSO Prosperity operating in Guyana. Photo: ExxonMobil/file photo.
Venezuela categorically repudiated Guyana’s claims regarding its illegal actions in undelimited waters, underscoring that these claims constitute a new attempt to distort and disregard Venezuela’s rights over the undelimited waters between the two countries.
In a statement shared by Foreign Affairs Minister Yván Gil on Friday, March 13, Venezuela explained that both countries share an extensive maritime zone that remains undelimited to date.
The statement added that, in accordance with the principles of international law and the law of the sea, the delimitation of maritime spaces between States with adjacent coasts requires an agreement between the parties and cannot be determined unilaterally by one party.
In this regard, “any activity of exploration, prospecting, or disposition of natural resources in these areas constitutes a unilateral act lacking legal basis, as it cannot impose rights against the will of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, while simultaneously violating the fundamental principles of international law of good faith, cooperation, and good neighborliness,” the text stated.
Moreover, it emphasized that “Venezuela will not tolerate Guyana assuming that the sea pending delimitation belongs to it and, consequently, daring to illicitly extract the existing resources in that region, causing environmental damage and fabricating commercial, civil, or military navigation rights.”
Recently, the Guyanese government announced the start of a three-dimensional seismic exploration campaign in the undelimited maritime areas that it intends to unilaterally present as part of its so-called “exclusive economic zone.” This plan was condemned by Venezuela on Wednesday, March 11.
On that occasion, the Venezuelan government demanded that Guyana refrain from taking unilateral actions that could violate fundamental principles of international law.
Venezuela Condemns Guyana’s Oil Exploration in Disputed Maritime Areas
An unofficial translation of the Venezuelan statement is below:
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela categorically repudiates the assertions of the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana regarding its illegal actions in undelimited waters, which constitute a new attempt to distort and disregard Venezuela’s rights over the waters pending delimitation between the two countries. This act of usurping maritime areas adds to its disregard for the Geneva Agreement of 1966 regarding the dispute over the Essequibo territory.
Guyana and Venezuela share an extensive maritime area that, to date, remains undelimited, as both governments have explicitly acknowledged on various occasions, including through the joint statement of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs on September 30, 2011.
In accordance with the generally recognized principles of international law and the law of the sea, the delimitation of maritime spaces between States with adjacent coasts requires an agreement between the parties. It cannot be unilaterally determined by one of them. Guyana cannot point to a single instance where Venezuela has ceded or consented to the usurpation of maritime spaces.
Consequently, any activity of exploration, prospecting, or disposition of natural resources in these areas constitutes a unilateral act lacking legal basis, as it cannot impose rights against the will of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, while simultaneously violating the fundamental principles of international law of good faith, cooperation, and good neighborliness.
Venezuela will not tolerate Guyana assuming that the sea pending delimitation belongs to it and, consequently, daring to illicitly extract the existing resources in that region, causing environmental damage and fabricating commercial, civil, or military navigation rights.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela reiterates that it will continue to adopt all measures at its disposal within the framework of international law to defend its territorial integrity and sovereign rights. It demands that the government of Guyana desist from its bombastic narrative and recognize that the only way to address this situation is through direct conversations between the two states.
The Sun of Venezuela rises in Essequibo!
Caracas, March 13, 2026
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/SF
