Tag Archives: Guyana-Venezuela border dispute

Guyana’s Essequibo Region is safe…for now

14 Sunday Jan 2024

Posted by in Guyana

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An update of events following my blog article, “Guyana-Venezuela Border Dispute: Mounting Tensions December 2023,” published on December 10, 2023

Guyanese President Irfaan Ali & Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro – St. Vincent & the Grenadines – December 14, 2023
Photo Credit: Miraflores Palace/Reuters

What a relief! Venezuela did not invade Guyana’s Essequibo Region. After meeting with Guyanese President Irfaan Ali on December 14, 2023, in Argyle, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro agreed not to threaten or use force against Guyana. In the Joint Declaration of Argyle for Dialogue and Peace, the two leaders “committed to the pursuance of good neighborliness, peaceful coexistence, and the unity of Latin America and the Caribbean.”

To clarify a sticking point for the two parties, the Declaration also noted:

“Noted Guyana’s assertion that it is committed to the process and procedures of the International Court of Justice for the resolution of the border controversy. Noted Venezuela’s assertion of its lack of consent and lack of recognition of the International Court of Justice and its jurisdiction in the border controversy.”

Guyana received lots of support from member nations of the Caribbean Community and Latin America. In addition to the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the main Interlocutors at the meeting included the Personal Envoy of Brazil’s President Inácio Lula da Silva, Prime Minister of Dominica and Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), President of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). Also present were CARICOM Prime Ministers of The Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad & Tobago. Other Latin American participants represented Colombia and Honduras. Two representatives from the United Nations attended as Observers.

Pleased with the results of the meeting, President Maduro shared a copy of the Argyle Declaration on X, formerly Twitter, and added:

“Excellent day of dialogue! We did it!”

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Guyana-Venezuela Border Dispute: Mounting Tensions December 2023

10 Sunday Dec 2023

Posted by in Guyana

≈ 65 Comments

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Map of Guyana highlighting “Disputed Territory” (in salmon-pink) claimed by Venezuela
Source: Caracas Chronicles

Autocratic leaders can sometimes act in reckless ways to hold on to power. This appears to be the case with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro who is up for re-election in 2024. To rally supporters for his party, weakened by U.S. economic sanctions, he has reignited claims over the disputed Guayana Esequiba territory, an issue known to unite Venezuelans across political divides.

Last Sunday, December 3, 2023, President Maduro held a national consultative Referendum to determine the people’s position on Venezuela’s longstanding claim over Guyana’s Essequibo Region (see captioned Map of Guyana with highlighted disputed territory). In so doing, Maduro’s regime ignored the objections of Guyana’s leadership and the order issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on December 1, 2023, to “refrain from taking any action which would modify the situation that currently prevails in the territory in dispute, whereby the Co-operative Republic of Guyana administers and exercises control over that area.”

The day after the Referendum, the president of the National Electoral Council announced overwhelming support for annexing Guayana Esequiba. The following results represent the percent of YES votes of the alleged 10.5 million participants (approximately 50 percent of the electorate) to five questions raised for their consideration:

  1. Do you reject the Paris Arbitral Award of 1899? – 97.99%
  2. Do you support the 1966 Geneva Agreement as the only valid legal instrument for resolving the controversy? – 98.26%
  3. Do you agree with Venezuela’s position of not recognizing the International Court of Territorial Justice as arbitrator? – 96.31%
  4. Do you oppose Guyana’s attempt to assert control over the [Atlantic] Ocean pending delimitation? – 96.34%
  5. Do you agree with the creation of the State of Guayana Esequiba and incorporating said state into the map of Venezuela’s territory? – 96.33%
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