Guyana-Venezuela Controversy

READ MORE: United Nations Security Council Press Statement on Guyana-Venezuela situation – DPI Guyana

The Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, has echoed the concern of His Excellency Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, after President Nicolás Maduro of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela promulgated the Organic Law for the Defence of Essequiba on 3 April 2024.   

The Commonwealth Secretary-General said: 

“Yesterday, on 5 April 2024, I received a letter from His Excellency, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. President Ali is concerned that Venezuela’s next move would be to implement its plan for the seizure of Guyana’s sovereign territory.” 

By this new law Venezuela purports to exercise control over two-thirds of the sovereign territory of Guyana. This legislation appears to create a new state in Venezuela, the Head of State of Venezuela will have the power to elect a governor, and the National Assembly of Venezuela will have legislative functions in this territory. Also, all political maps of Venezuela will now include the ‘state of Guyana Essequiba’. 

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), on 1 December 2023, unanimously indicated its Order on Provisional Measures on the dispute between Venezuela and Guyana. It states, pending the Court’s final decision in the case, 

“the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela shall 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.” 

In reference to Venezuela’s April 3rd promulgation, the Commonwealth Secretary-General noted: 

“Venezuela’s latest actions appear to directly contravene the ICJ Order and also the spirit of the 14 December 2023 Joint Declaration of Argyle for Dialogue and Peace between Guyana and Venezuela where both states agreed to use international law and diplomatic means to address the controversy and to refrain from escalating the conflict.” 

"The Commonwealth affirms that the ICJ process is the appropriate and lawful means to address the matter under international law.”  

The Secretary-General pointed to her earlier statements of  1 November and 1 December 2023 on the matter as well as the 11 December 2023 Outcome Statement of the Commonwealth Ministerial Group on Guyana (CMGG). She also referenced the Concluding Statement of the Sixty-Fourth Meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, issued on 12 March 2024, and the Secretary-General noted, 

“I am encouraged by the firm and consistent support from the entire Commonwealth family for the Government and people of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. I also call on member states to give whatever support they may feel appropriate to Guyana in this time of need.” 

“I offer my continued support, and that of the Commonwealth, to help resolve the matter by peaceful means.” 

The Secretary-General urged the Government and people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to abide by the principles of international law and to manage the dispute in ways that guarantee the peace and stability of the Caribbean region. 

READ MORE: Statement by the Commonwealth Secretary-General in support of Guyana after Venezuela’s recent legislation on the April 3rd Organic Law on Essequibo  | Commonwealth

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that Venezuela shall refrain from taking any action that would affect Guyana’s control of its Essequibo region, pending the court’s final decision in the border controversy case.  

By a unanimous decision, the court on Friday delivered provisional measures intended to avoid any aggravation.

These measures provide that:

1. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, shall refrain from taking any action, which would modify the situation that currently prevails in the territory in dispute, whereby the Cooperative Republic of Guyana administers and exercises control over that area.
2. Both parties must refrain from any action that can aggravate or extend the dispute before the court or make it more difficult to resolve.

These measures are legally binding and prevent Venezuela from taking any actions upon Guyanese territory regardless of the outcome of its scheduled referendum.

Delivering the order, President of the Court, Judge Joan E. Donoghue accepted Guyana’s argument that the questions in Venezuela’s referendum, specifically question five, which speaks to the annexing of Guyana’s Essequibo region, present a ‘risk of irreparable prejudice’ before the court delivers its final decision.

READ MORE: Venezuela must refrain from taking any action against Guyana – ICJ rules – DPI Guyana 

On Thursday, December 14, 2023, in Argyle, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, His Excellency Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and His Excellency Nicolas Maduro, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela held discussions on matters consequential to the territory in dispute between their two countries.

These discussions were facilitated by the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Pro-Tempore President of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Dr. The Honourable Ralph E. Gonsalves, and the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica and Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Honourable Roosevelt Skerrit. Prime Ministers Gonsalves and Skerrit, together with H.E. Mr. Celso Amorim, Special Adviser and Personal Envoy of H.E. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, acted as principal Interlocutors. Also present were Honourable Prime Ministers of the Caribbean Community, namely: the Honourable Philip Davis, Prime Minister of The Bahamas; the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados; the Honourable Dickon Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada; the Honourable Philip J. Pierre, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia; Honourable Terrence Drew of Saint Kitts and Nevis and Dr. The Honourable Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

Attending as Observers on behalf of His Excellency António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations were Their Excellencies Earle Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet of the Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Miroslav Jenca, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. In addition, His Excellency Alvaro Leyva Durán, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Colombia and Mr. Gerardo Torres Zelaya, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Honduras, in his capacity as CELAC Troika, also participated.

READ MORE : The joint declaration of Argyle for dialogue and peace between Guyana and Venezuela – DPI Guyana 

Ambassador of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, His Excellency Dr. Richard Van West-Charles, presented his Letters of Credence to His Excellency Yvan Gil, Minister for People’s Power for Foreign Affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, on Friday, 2nd February 2024.

Minister Gil and Ambassador, Van West-Charles engaged in cordial discussions. Ambassador Van West-Charles affirmed the imperative of peace and cooperation as guiding principles for the relations between Guyana and Venezuela.

In this regard, he committed to working during his tenure to pursue Guyana’s interests in exploring the potential for collaboration in areas that would provide an opportunity for the neighbouring countries to develop a programme of cooperation for the mutual benefit of both peoples.

Ambassador Van West-Charles will present his credentials to His Excellency Nicolas Maduro at a later date.

READ MORE : Guyana’s Ambassador to Venezuela Dr Van West Charles accredited – DPI Guyana 

Today marks the 57th Anniversary of the signing of the Geneva Agreement and invites its commemoration as a binding international agreement between the Parties. Concluded on the eve of our country's independence between the United Kingdom, Venezuela and British Guiana, it governs the resolution of the controversy which had arisen as a result of Venezuela's baseless and ill-chosen contention that the Arbitral Award of 1899 is 'null and void'. It removed the roadblock to Guyana's independence that Venezuela had, with imperial ambition, sought to effect.

The Judgement of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the preliminary objection raised by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the case concerning the Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela), will be read in open court on Thursday 6 April 2023, at 3 p.m., at the Peace Palace.