-after Rodríguez calls for renewed talks

President Irfaan Ali yesterday urged Venezuela to abide by the International Court of Justice’s forthcoming decision on the border controversy between the two countries, a day after Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodríguez used the same United Nations forum to call for renewed bilateral negotiations.

In his address to the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, Ali said Guyana had long pursued a peaceful settlement despite what he described as repeated Venezuelan provocations and aggression. He maintained that the 1899 Arbitral Award had settled the boundary between the two countries.

“Despite the historical truth—clearly outlined in the Arbitral Award of 1899 that determined the full, perfect and final settlement of our border with Venezuela, we endured long and repeated provocations and aggression,” he said.

Ali said the controversy had been referred to the ICJ by the UN Secretary-General under the 1966 Geneva Agreement. That step followed decades of attempts to resolve it through a mixed commission and the Secretary-General’s Good Offices process, he told the Assembly.

“The Court twice pronounced on its jurisdiction to hear the matter,” he said. “Recourse to the ICJ came after decades of efforts to resolve the controversy bilaterally.”

With both countries having participated in hearings completed in May, Ali said the next step was for them to respect the Court’s decision.

“We urge Venezuela to abide by the forthcoming ruling in accordance with their obligation under the UN Charter, as Guyana will do,” he said.

He added: “We look forward to a new era of neighbourly relations in the interest of our peoples, the development of our countries and the stability and prosperity of our region.”

Ali’s remarks were a clear reference to Rodríguez’s address on Wednesday. Rodríguez renewed Venezuela’s claim to Essequibo and appealed to Guyana “to return to negotiations as stipulated by the Geneva Agreement”. She argued that agreements arising from bilateral talks lasted longer and worked better than those “imposed by external bodies”. Kiskadee Watch also reported that she wore a pin showing Essequibo as part of Venezuela

The Good Offices process began in 1990 and continued for years without a settlement. In January 2018, UN Secretary-General António Guterres chose the ICJ as the means of resolving the controversy; Guyana filed its application two months later. Venezuela has maintained that the Geneva Agreement calls for negotiations, while Guyana has argued that the Secretary-General acted under the authority that agreement gave him. 

The Foreign Affairs Ministry said the oral hearings in May concerned the merits of Guyana’s case, including the validity of the 1899 Award. Ali did not suggest yesterday that a date had been set for the judgment. 

The President has repeatedly brought Venezuela’s actions before the General Assembly. In his address last year, he accused Caracas of threats of annexation despite the case before the Court.