Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez on Monday called for dialogue with Guyana, insisting that negotiations between the two countries remain the only path to resolving Caracas’ claim over the Essequibo region.
Addressing the International Court of Justice, Rodriguez argued that the 1966 Geneva Agreement remains the only valid legal instrument for settling the territorial controversy.
“We have reached a historical moment where we can demonstrate that dialogue and negotiations are the path toward co-existence, happiness and wellbeing of our people… a high-level bilateral meeting organised by key regional stakeholders will without a doubt be far more productive and effective in achieving that goal,” she said.
Guyana has maintained that it will not pursue a negotiated settlement with Venezuela and instead seeks a judicial resolution through the ICJ. The case was brought before the court under a provision stemming from the 1966 Geneva Agreement.
The agreement, signed between Venezuela and the United Kingdom before Guyana’s independence, established a framework for resolving the border controversy and authorised the United Nations Secretary-General to determine a means of peaceful settlement if negotiations failed.
In 2018, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres referred the matter to the ICJ after decades of unsuccessful negotiations, paving the way for the court to hear the case.
Rodriguez said Venezuela did not disrespect the court but claimed that the Geneva Agreement outlined steps for resolving the dispute without third-party intervention.
“This is a matter of defending one of the essential attributes of our state namely its sovereignty. Venezuela has never consented to submitting the territorial controversy over Guiana Essequibo to the jurisdiction of this court; in no way does Article 4 of the Geneva constitute a compromissory clause,” she said.
Edward Craven KC, who appeared on behalf of Guyana, told the court that Venezuela had accepted and sought to enforce the 1899 Arbitral Award for decades before challenging it shortly before Guyana gained independence.
He argued that Venezuela’s claims lacked merit.
Guyana has repeatedly reaffirmed that sovereignty over the oil-rich Essequibo region is not open to bilateral negotiation and maintains that the 1899 arbitral award establishing the border is valid and binding.
