The National Assembly unanimously passed a motion in support of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The motion, which was presented by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hugh Todd, saw a show of unity by both sides of the House in the presence of representatives of the diplomatic community, students and other stakeholders.
The motion, inter alia, reaffirmed Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity; recognition and acceptance of the 1899 Arbitral Award and Article 1V of the 1966 Geneva Agreement. It further denounced the ‘provocative, unlawful, void and of no legal effect the purported referendum by Venezuela scheduled for December 3, 2023.
The National Assembly expressed full support for the efforts of the government to ensure a peaceful and lawful resolution of the matter and reject the proposal by Venezuela to return to any form of dialogue outside of the Court process.

It is an established fact that little, if any progress was made to arrive at a solution based on the Geneva Agreement and the UN Secretary General’s Good Officer process due mainly to the intransigence of Venezuela. It was against such a background that Guyana was left with no remaining option but to seek to have the matter referred to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which is fully in accord with the provisions of the Geneva Agreement.

As noted by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, no country can unilaterally determine its territorial boundaries, both land and sea. This matter can only be determined by a duly constituted international tribunal as was the case in the 1899 Arbitral Award and the ICJ. Such a mechanism is fully in accord with the rule of international law.
As far as Guyana is concerned, the issue of the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award is non-negotiable and legally binding. However, in an effort to arrive at a peaceful resolution of the matter, it agreed to refer the matter to the UN Secretary General Good Officer mechanism and subsequently to the ICJ, where the issue currently stands. Venezuela had challenged the jurisdiction of the ICJ to hear the matter after having long ago refused to abide by the valid and legally binding 1899 Arbitral Award, but the court ruled otherwise and will the substantial case is ongoing.

Guyana has always sought a peaceful and lawful resolution of the long-standing border controversy but unfortunately the same cannot be said for Venezuela. It’s most recent decision to hold a referendum aimed, among other things to incorporate Essequibo into the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is an act of provocation fraught with all manner of threats and instability in the region especially in the context of the Caribbean as a zone of peace.
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Guyana in the meanwhile is enjoying full and unequivocal support both at the domestic level and the broader international community including the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Organization of American States (OAS), the European Union (EU) and the Commonwealth Secretariat.

This most recent display of unity in the National Assembly on the issue of Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity has sent a clear and unambiguous message to Venezuela and for that matter the entire world that when it comes to our national sovereignty and territorial integrity Guyanese are fully united and resolute.