The Government of Venezuela accused Guyana this Friday of continuing to “lye before the world”, after said nation ratified as valid the Paris Award of 1899, which determined the land border between Venezuela and the United Kingdom, which was then the colonial power. of what is now Guyanese territory, and which the Caribbean nation describes as “fraudulent.”
“With its statement, Guyana continues to lie before the world, desperately seeking to ignore that Venezuela has incontrovertible historical titles over the territory of Guayana Esequiba,” the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
In his opinion, Guyana is “simple heir” of a “historical colonial dispossession carried out by the United Kingdom” to “satisfy its imperial policy and seize the immense wealth of Venezuela.”
On Thursday, the Government of Guyana said in a statement published by the Foreign Ministry, that it “has never been more convinced” that the Paris Award of 1899 is “valid” and that the “empire of international law and the processes of the Court International Court of Justice (ICJ) will allow a peaceful solution to the issue.”
“Today we once again call for honor, by celebrating on this anniversary date that faithful Arbitration Award of October 3, 1899, in constant respect for the sanctity of treaties and the rule of law,” he added.
Venezuela reiterated that the entire process that gave rise to this award was “clearly fraudulent”, and that it was surpassed by the Geneva Agreement of 1966, “with the objective of putting an end to the territorial controversy through a practical, acceptable and satisfactory settlement for all parties”.
“This agreement is in force and is the regulatory framework that must be complied with in good faith by the parties, in accordance with international law,” he added.
He also reiterated that the ICJ does not have jurisdiction to hear Guyana’s “unilateral claim” regarding the “validity” of the 1899 Arbitration Award.
In March 2018, Guyana presented this case to the ICJ for this instance to decide on the validity of this award.
Guyana has authorized oil licenses, including the one granted to the American company ExxonMobil, in “undelimited” maritime areas, according to Venezuela, which may “compromise resources” that Caracas considers its own.
The crisis over the territorial dispute reached its peak after Venezuela held a unilateral referendum on December 3 in which it approved the annexation of Essequibo, and the Government of the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, ordered the establishment of a division military near the disputed area, among other measures.
Caracas / EFE
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2024-10-05 21:01:32
