TODAY marks the 53rd anniversary of the signing of the Geneva Agreement. As with any anniversary, this one must become a moment for sober reflection.

By any stretch of the imagination, Guyana — a small state in the international system – has, in an exemplary manner, discharged its obligations under this agreement. Guyana has not violated the various clauses of this agreement, nor has it engaged in acts of aggression against its western neighbour, even in the face of the most glaring provocation. And this could only be because Guyana, from the advent of independence, has declared that it seeks peaceful and productive relations with all states, and has refused to engage in policies which are likely to undermine the peaceful development and security of the Region in which it finds itself.

This anniversary finds us having exhausted the Good Offices process, pressing on to ensure that our morally and legally sound case having been submitted to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for juridical settlement is upheld. Both President David Granger and Foreign Minister Carl Greenidge had recognised that the Good Offices process allowed Venezuela to prolong the border controversy, while engaging in frequent acts of aggression– the most recent being late last year. The President, in particular, in addressing the issue on the 50th anniversary of the Geneva Agreement, was quoted in the press as saying that he is “fed up with Venezuelan aggression and harassment.” This mindset is understandable, considering that Venezuela’s aggression has been ongoing from the time of our independence.

More recently, President Granger said the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) must remain ready to deter aggression, defend national sovereignty and ensure the development of Guyana as a safe, secure and strong state. The President was at the time addressing officers of the Guyana Defence Force, during the opening ceremony of the GDF’s Annual Officers’ Conference held at the Baridi Benab, State House, back in January this year. President Granger recalled the force’s swift action to suppress the Rupununi Rebellion that erupted 50 years ago on January 2, 1969 and reminded that Guyana has always been victim to claims on its territory despite international recognition of its land mass, territorial borders, territorial sea and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). “Guyana’s territorial integrity was violated again on December 22, 2018, just last month. A Venezuelan Navy corvette- the Karina PC-14 – made a hostile incursion into Guyana’s EEZ. The incursion took place at approximately 144 kilometres from the boundary that separates Venezuela from Guyana,” the Commander in Chief said.

He also assured that the government through its enlightened and progressive defence policy is strengthening the Defence Force to help it to secure our borders and safeguard Guyana. “The nation can be assured of the government’s resolve to protect the people and preserve the national patrimony. It commits to continuing to take measures to shield the people from the perils of transnational crime. The Defence Force will continue to work with frontier villages to protect our territory and natural resources and repel threats to human safety and national security,” he said.

Also, Venezuela’s propaganda has been matched by information booklets and other materials and government has sought to get the country to unite, not only around the issue of our national sovereignty, but also as a direct policy to help heal the wounds of political and racial tensions that have blighted this nation in the past. We urge again that we do so as a nation that is fully informed on this issue and its implications for our future development.

Additionally, an extended period of education, modelled on what had transpired in the 70s and 80s, might be in order. And we must not fail to prepare for the consequences of decisions taken in Caracas, especially as Venezuela lurches from one crisis to the next. One lesson this nation has learnt over the years is that a united, informed and prepared nation is more than a match for an aggressive Venezuela. A diplomacy founded on these factors is most likely to be successful.

Even though Venezuela has claimed to be an adherent to the philosophy of the great Simon Bolivar, and has signed the Geneva Agreement, its various administrations have engaged in naked aggression against Guyana, in violation of international norms and peaceful practices. It has seized Guyana’s territory even while the Mixed Commission established by the Geneva Agreement was meeting. Caracas has been the architect of several incidents of provocation on our border. And it has engaged in the exercise of economic aggression against a small state with the express purpose of frustrating and stymieing its development. We will recall not so long ago an act which is unprecedented in this Region, the President of Venezuela issued a decree claiming sovereignty over Guyana’s territorial waters.

It is ironic that these acts of aggression are based on a perverse interpretation of the Geneva Agreement, which says that it is not an instrument for proving the Venezuelan contention of nullity of the 1899 Arbitration Tribunal Award; yet Venezuela has embraced the opportunity to seize Guyana’s land and territorial waters. Ultimately, the Guyana Government and the Guyanese people have no quarrel with the people of Venezuela. This is the 21st century, in which there is no place for 19th century notions of grabbing the land and territorial waters of a small neighbouring country.

Georgetown and Caracas have, over the years, cooperated successfully in many important areas, among them medicine and trade. If Caracas can find it possible to abandon outmoded notions of power, an era of cooperation can be re-opened between our two countries. The Geneva Agreement makes provision for such a peaceful and enlightened development.